Exosuit boosts a wearer's endurance while walking and running

Scientists at Harvard University developed a new exosuit — a wearable machine that they say can improve a mere mortal's strength and stamina. This new prototype is novel because it improves a wearer's performance while walking and running — just one example of progress in what's become a surging field.

This suit looks kind of like bike shorts, with some wires and small machines around the waist, and cables down the legs. When it's turned on, a person expends less energy when moving. The suit helps to extend the hip joint, saving the user energy. And though you might not notice it, when you shut the suit off after a few minutes of having it turned on, you really quickly notice that your legs feel a little bit heavier, and you feel a little bit more sluggish.

The suit weighs about 11 pounds. The team's research, published in the journal Science, finds that a person wearing this suit expended 9.3 percent less energy walking and 4 percent less energy running, compared to wearing no suit. That's the equivalent of shedding 16 pounds of weight while walking, or 12 pounds while running.

Read more at Harvard University

Image Credit: Harvard University

-jk-