NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — Scientists from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Chung-Ang University in South Korea have developed an ultra-light exoskeleton. This amazing device, weighing only 2.5 kg, as conceived by the authors, can make the sports life easier for runners and sprinters.
In a world where exoskeletons are widely used to help lift heavy loads and assist people with limited mobility, researchers from South Korea have unveiled an innovative device that can speed up sprinters over short distances.
The idea of surpassing human capabilities has always been on the agenda, and this exoskeleton is a new step in that direction.
“Exceeding the limits of the human body is a fundamental human desire,” Joonen Moon, one of the researchers, wrote in a recently published study. “Our results will serve as a starting point for research aimed at exceeding the limits of human performance using wearable robots.”
What makes this exoskeleton unique? Its simple and minimalistic design. It consists of a backpack containing a power supply and wires running to and down each thigh. Each step the user takes puts tension on the attached cable, pulling the leg forward faster than normal. The exoskeleton is also equipped with sensors and a computer that analyzes the wearer’s gait and synchronizes with his steps.
During testing, amateur runners used this innovative suit and ran 200 meters. Then each of them covered the same distance again without the exoskeleton. The results are amazing – the exoskeleton helped everyone improve their time by 0.97 seconds. This may seem like a small improvement, but it makes a big difference for the sprint.
Interestingly, the exoskeleton’s initial weight was 4.4 kg, but the researchers were able to reduce its weight to 2.5 kg without compromising performance. This proves that technology is constantly evolving, and in the future we may see even lighter and more powerful versions of exoskeletons.
The creation of an ultra-light exoskeleton that can improve the speed of sprinters opens up new prospects for sports and physical activity. The researchers plan to conduct additional tests with professional sprinters.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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