In
the article “It’s 2019 - Where’s My Supersuit”, 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. Moreover, 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 super-suit
will be as common as today's society similarly to smartphones. One of the main
reasons why Zelik chose to research on soft exosuit as compared to other
products, such as the rigid exosuit in the market is due to its practicality
and demands.
One
main advantage of the soft exosuit is the flexibility it allows on the wearer.
As the need for a rigid body frame is no longer required, the user can now move
and reach certain areas where the rigid exosuit could not. This allows a higher
degree of freedom as it is constructed “from flexible materials, that utilizes
Bowden cables, air muscles and filaments for easier body movement”
(Bhutani,2018). With better construction of the exosuit, this allows better
custom fitting that fits onto the human body shapes and sizes which then lead
to higher potential growth for the suit to bloom in the future. (Butahni,2018)
Another
advantage is the comfortability it gives to the wearer. Without the need of
having bulky mechanisms on the super suit. This would ease the strain and
fatigue on the body. According to the website (Bonettner,2018), by having smart
textile-based soft exosuits which are being worn by the frontline rescue
soldiers, this can help them to overcome tedious terrain and arrive at their
destination freshly, this would allow them to execute their respective tasks
more effectively. Moreover, the materials used on the exosuit are breathable
type and is made of fabrics and elastomers that co-operate with the soft
exosuit which will work in parallel to human muscle tissues” to aid in lifting
load while preventing muscle fatigue. (Xiloyannis,2018). Besides, there is
research being done and demonstrated that the lab-based version of the soft
exosuits which generally gives distinct benefits to wearers which allows them
to spend less energy while walking and running. (Bonettner,2018) Thus in the
future, this suit will be fully wearable that can be used daily in the real
world yet giving ultimate comfort under everyday clothes.
Although
this soft exosuit tends to have more advantages. However, a product is never
perfect, thus there is a disadvantage which is the suit is not commonly used in
society yet. According to the website (Bhutani,2018) which stated with the
increasing demand for healthcare applications and industrial facilities, the
purpose is to prevent the increment of gait disorder incident. Besides, there
is a statistic shown where there is an “increase in adopting soft exosuit for
healthcare application” to tackle the rise of physical disabilities such as
“multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease” (Bhutani,2018). Moreover,
according to (Bhutani,2018), proliferating hospital and medical centers will
offer rehabilitation procedures which offer “gait training for paralytic
patients and will support the industry proliferation till 2025”. This has shown
that there is a rise in demand of the exosuit to be used more commonly in the
future.
In
conclusion, to counter Zelik's statement “30 years from now”, Zelik(2019) along
with the practicality and the rise in demand for exosuit in the future. The
soft exosuit will be mass production in five to ten years as more investors
will come in and invest their money into this research to aid and prevent
humans from having spinal injuries.
Reference:
Karl
Zelik. (2019.) It’s 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from
Xiloyannis
(2018). Comparison of a Soft Exosuit and a Rigid Exoskeleton in an Assistive
Task. Retrieved and adaption from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327345060_Comparison_of_a_Soft_Exosuit_and_a_Rigid_Exoskeleton_in_an_Assistive_Task
Bonettner (2018). Multi-joint-personalized-soft-exosuit-breaks-new-ground.
Retrieved and adapted from https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/multi-joint-personalized-soft-exosuit-breaks-new-ground/
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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