Principal Investigator Hugh Herr
Project Website http://www.media.mit.edu/projects/load-bearing-exoskeleton-for-augmentation-of-…
Augmentation of human locomotion has proven an elusive goal. Natural human walking is extremely efficient and the complex articulation of the human leg poses significant engineering difficulties. We present a wearable exoskeleton designed to reduce the metabolic cost of jogging. The exoskeleton places a stiff fiberglass spring in series with the complete leg during stance phase, then removes it so that the knee may bend during leg swing. The result is a bouncing gait with reduced reliance on the musculature of the knee and ankle.