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Design summary analysis draft #2


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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