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.

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. "This exoskeleton personalizes assistance as people walk normally through the real world," said Steve Collins, associate professor of mechanical engineering who leads the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory, in a press release. When a new person puts on the boot, the algorithm tests a different pattern of assistance each time they walk, measuring how their movements change in response. "I believe that over the next decade we'll see these ideas of personalizing assistance and effective portable exoskeletons help many people overcome mobility challenges or maintain their ability to live active, independent, and meaningful lives," study author and bioengineering researcher Patrick Slade said in the press release.

An exoskeleton "boot" that allows people to walk 9% faster with 17% less effort has been developed by scientists. This robotic footwear comes with a motor that works with calf muscles to give the wearer an extra push with every step, researchers from Stanford University in the US said. The team said its work, which is published in the journal Nature, could help people with mobility impairments "move throughout the world as they like". Patrick Slade, who worked on the exoskeleton as a PhD student at the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory and is the first author on the study, told the PA news agency: "There are a number of clinical populations we hope to help including older adults, people with muscle weakness from a variety of conditions like stroke, and specific injury recoveries for things like achilles tendon strain. "We are starting to perform studies to explore the benefits of using our device with older adults.

Exoskeleton devices work, researchers say, for a variety of uses such as speeding up our walking or making running easier. Yet they don't know what exactly makes exoskeletons effective. What is the benefit of customization, for example? And how much does simply getting used to the exoskeleton matter? Researchers in the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory at Stanford University examined these questions and found that training plays a remarkably significant role in how well exoskeletons provide assistance.