A super-lightweight, modular exoskeleton called the United States, developed at the Human Engineering and Robotics Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley offers those with spinal chord injuries more mobility and an affordable replacement for wheelchairs. Weighing only 27lbs, the development team aimed to mimic biological systems rather than copying industrial robots. "Our design has more emphasis on software intelligence rather than elaborate hardware," said researcher Homayoon Kazerooni. The spin-off company, SuitX, plans to offer the wearable exoskeleton suit for sale next March in Phoenix for $40,000, well below the $100,000 cost of competitor devices.
A super-lightweight, modular exoskeleton called Phoenix, developed at the Human Engineering and Robotics Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley offers those with spinal chord injuries more mobility and an affordable replacement for wheelchairs. Weighing only 27lbs, the development team aimed to mimic biological systems rather than copying industrial robots. "Our design has more emphasis on software intelligence rather than elaborate hardware," said researcher Homayoon Kazerooni. The spin-off company, SuitX, plans to offer the wearable exoskeleton suit for sale next March in the United States for $40,000, well below the $100,000 cost of competitor devices.