In the article “Where’s My Supersuit in Conversation”, Zelik
(2019) writes about the remarkable features and the pros and cons of the
wearable exoskeletons which describe as “mechanized clothing” developed by
his research team. The main function of the exoskeletons is to lessen the
workload and aid those with spinal injuries by providing a back-support system,
and how it works is by consisting of common clothing materials along with the
assistive fabric elastic band, together with a switch which allows user to turn
the suit’s assistance on or off. Zelik mentions whenever the suit is
switched off, the user can move “freely and fully” and it does not consist of
motors and batteries. In addition, Zelik mentions “it’s easily concealed under
everyday clothes”. At the same time, he states there is a disadvantage, such as
unaffordability. Zelik ends the article stating that in hope of “30 years from
now,'' he hopes to see the supersuit will be as common as today society
similarly to smartphones. One of the main reasons why Zelik choose to research
on “mechanized clothing” which is known as soft exosuit as compare to other
product such as rigid exosuit in the market is due to its practicability and
demands.
To briefly explain why Zelik decide to research on the soft supersuit
is mainly on its several advantages against the rigid supersuit, alongside with
the increasing product demand for healthcare to prevent spinal cord injuries.
One main advantage of the soft exosuit is the capability to allow flexibility
on the wearer. As the need for rigid body frame is no longer required, the user
can now move and reach certain areas where the rigid exosuit could not. In
addition, the soft exosuit is made of fabric and elastomer, human body with
bigger or smaller size can fit into it while maintaining its functionality in
reducing strain on human lower back muscle tissues.
Another advantage is the comfortability on the wearer without the
need of having bulky mechanism on the supersuit. As the soft exosuit does not
consists of batteries, motors and heavy body frame on the human body, this will
ease the strain and fatigue on the wearer. Moreover, the material being used on
the soft exosuit is breathable material which create the ability to penetrate in
our daily lives. In addition, the compliant material such as fabric and
elastomers that co-operate with the soft exosuit will work in parallel to human
muscle tissues to aid in lifting load while preventing muscle fatigue.
The disadvantage is that this soft exosuit is not common in the
society yet. However, with the increasing demand on healthcare application,
more investors will invest money into the research and the creation of prototype.
This leads to an increase in faster production of the soft exosuit in the
future.
In conclusion, the soft exosuit will be mass produce in five to
ten years’ time as more investors will come in and invest their money into this
research to aid and prevent human from having spinal injuries aligning with the
increase in healthcare demands.
Reference:
Karl Zelik. (2019.) It’s 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and
adapted from
Chiaradia,
Domenico & Xiloyannis, Michele & Solazzi, Massimiliano & Masia,
Lorenzo & Frisoli, Antonio. (2018). Comparison of a Soft Exosuit and a
Rigid Exoskeleton in an Assistive Task.
Soft Exoskeleton Market Trends 2019-2025 Industry
Growth Forecast. (2020). Retrieved 10 February 2020, from https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/soft-exoskeleton-market?utm_source=GoogleAds&utm_medium=Adwords&utm_campaign=Electronics-PPC&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7OnxBRCNARIsAIW53B-SCPkzfD54CzzEVDX7jO1rT4Nsp637yK2FCNAJ9UEEQY1kR6OMhP4aAgB1EALw_wcB
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