Project description
Enhancing mobility with the assistance of wearable robotics
Advanced technologies offer people with mobility impairments unique opportunities to improve their quality of life. One particular focus is on making simple, everyday tasks accessible. The EU-funded Myosuit project is introducing a lightweight garment-like device that combines robotics with functional textiles to work like a wearable muscle. Using novel algorithms, the Myosuit recognises the user's movements and supports the legs in daily activities such as walking, going up or down stairs, and sitting transfers.
Objective
Mobility impairments can affect a person’s quality of life by making simple everyday tasks difficult or impossible to perform. These impairments may be the result of genetic disorders, a neurological injury, or simply ageing. Since many of these conditions cannot be cured with the current state of medical care available, the best option to regain—or maintain—mobility is to use assistive technologies.
In Europe, 9.7% of the population of working age (15-64 years old) report difficulties with walking, sitting, standing, or lifting and carrying objects. For those over 65 years old—a segment of the population with a spending capacity of over €3,000 billion—age-related impairments are expected to grow from 68 million in 2005 to 84 million in 2020.
To address this growing need for assistive devices that support users in their daily lives we have created the MyoSuit. The MyoSuit is a lightweight garment-like device that combines robotics with functional textiles to function as a wearable muscle. This wearable muscle uses novel algorithms and sensing technology to deliver continuous force assistance in an e-bike-like manner. With these intelligent algorithms, the MyoSuit detects the user’s movement patterns and provides optimal support to the lower limbs across activities of daily life such as walking, stair negotiation, and sitting transfers.
We envision a future where technology for mobility assistance is simple, intuitive and—borrowing from the WHO’s approach to ageing and health—allows people to do the things they value for as long as possible.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinephysiotherapy
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologymultiple sclerosis
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologystroke
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
8005 Zurich
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.