This Exoskeleton Uses AI to Help People Walk Faster With Less Energy

Exoskeletons have been largely confined to the realm of fiction, appearing in sci-fi or superhero movies to make characters stronger, taller, or more destructive (in James Cameron's Avatar, the somewhat terrifying AMP suit serves as an "amplifier of a human operator," but is really more like a humanoid war machine with a real human inside). In terms of real-world uses, exoskeletons have been tested or developed in industries like car manufacturing, air travel, the military, and healthcare; these are mostly to help people lift heavy objects and materials. A new exoskeleton serves a different purpose: helping people walk. Developed by engineers at the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory, the device is described in a paper published this week in Nature. In a nutshell, it's a motorized boot that gives wearers a push forward with each step they take.