Lifting heavy items can be made easier.
Now, an Italian lab team has developed a battery-operated aid for those whose legs cannot support their bodies.
The team’s exoskeleton comprises two robot frames with motorised joints at hip and knee level. The structure can be telescopically adjusted to fit different body sizes.
It’s attached on the outer side of the legs by Velcro at the waist, upper and lower thighs and feet. The battery lasts up to four hours.
Steering is via app with three different settings: full, partial or one-sided support (where one leg is doing fine). The frame can be dismantled for transport.
In Lithuania wheelchair users can make eye contact with anyone; maybe even soon without a device.