Walking made easy: Modern Clutch Invented
The past decade
has seen a huge advancement in the field of healthcare with successful attempts
in making the life of physically challenged more comfortable. There have been a
number of inventions brought to public notice for the easy rehabilitation of people
with walking disabilities.
Researchers from
Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina State University have come up with an
elegant solution to enhance the walking the walking efficiency. The research
team details their latest creation—a wearable boot-like exoskeleton that can
reduce the energy cost of walking by 7 percent. The key point for this boot is the
non-requirement of any battery powered motors making it more likely to lie in
the affordable range for the common people.
The researchers
derive inspiration from the working mechanism of human ankle. Close examination
reveals that the major power comes from the muscles and tendons around the
ankle. Thereby making it the most
interesting part to be studied.
By studying the
motion of human leg through ultrasound images the researchers were able to get
a good grasp over the working of calf muscle in coordination with the Achilles
tendon. And could relate it to the working mechanism of clutch found in cars
wherein the tendon acts like a spring, engaging and disengaging with every
step. This motion has been imitated by the boot by placing the clutch mechanism
on a carbon fiber frame.
Thus by not making
use of any motors, the boot is able to save 7% of the muscle energy of the
wearer which was understood by studying
the studying the oxygen consumption and CO2 exhaled during a walk.
An increase in 7%
walking efficiency is equivalent to removing a 10-pound load from your
backpack. This could prove to be very useful for hikers and athletes and also
help people with weaker mobility in a certain limb. The researchers also
believe that these boots will help the aging baby boomers who want to remain
active and need a little extra help to do so. Though the effects of long term
use maybe loss of muscle mass but since no chemical or electrical energy is
involved the product will be cheaper enabling all of us to walk efficiently.
“Smaller, cheaper, and more streamlined is
better in the end,” Sawicki says. “If it’s too expensive, it’s not going to be
accessible to the general public.”
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