Op-ed: How exoskeleton technology will change your life
By Ross Schneider, MEng ’20 (ME)
This op-ed is part of a series from E295: Communications for Engineering Leaders. In this course, Master of Engineering students were challenged to communicate a topic they found interesting to a broad audience of technical and non-technical readers.
“We can build him better” was the mantra of the 1970s television series The Six Million Dollar Man, a curious prelude to the advent of bio-mechatronics and biomedical engineering. Naturally, the actual implementation of biomedical technology today already exceeds the creativity of Hollywood screenwriting. From human-machine interfaces to assistive exoskeletons to artificial organs — we are in a new era. A sci-fi world of human augmentation is seemingly out of reach for now, but what lies bubbling below the surface in labs and cutting-edge companies has the power to address the world’s most pressing health and industrial issues.
Particularly important to the tech-driven, global health revolution are exoskeletons: wearable robots that aim to restore or augment its users movements. Many of us think of Tony Stark in an Iron Man suit when we hear “exoskeleton,” but this is simply not the reality of the technology. Exoskeletons can breathe new life into a person, or allow them to work with heavy tools all day without risking their personal health. The possibilities are massive, but large-scale adoption is limited by funding, technology development, and of course, societal adoption.
It is my belief, however, that exoskeleton technology is nearing a point in its life that it will experience a boom (similar to mobile phone tech) within the next 10 years. It will be seen on a daily basis during your morning commute or on your lunch break. I will explore how the challenges listed above are being overcome or addressed, making it likely that exoskeletons will be so readily available in the future that you might even have one for hiking or hauling your weekly groceries several blocks home.
The current market climate
One of the many roadblocks in the development of any new technology is simply the demand for it. Since one of the major groups of exoskeletons users will be those in the medical space, the demand here must be high before the cost of entering the market can be justified. Thanks to modern medicine, we are witnessing a greater projected life expectancy in the population as we approach the 2060s. With this greater life expectancy comes other problems associated with an aging population, such as unavoidable mobility problems. As a result, it is projected that exoskeletons will be in high demand and many companies are rapidly buffing up their R&D. Major players include Hyundai, Wyss Institute, Cyberdyne, Lockheed Martin, REX Bionic, ReWalk, and Panasonic. Millions of dollars have already been raised for exoskeleton research, and from 2017 to 2024 the market is predicted to grow by 48% for the exoskeleton industry.
Technology and regulations
So, the demand exists and a market is rapidly growing. Why do we not already see this amazing technology on a daily basis? That is not such a simple question. The cost of development is high and the rate of progress is naturally slow on a system as complex as an exoskeleton. After all, nature has a better track record than we as a species do. In an ideal world, an assistive device helps, but never hinders the user’s natural movement. Whether this natural human motion came from billions of years of evolution or after some miracle-filled night, it turns out that it’s pretty damn hard to mimic (perfectly) natural motion. Additionally, since we come in all shapes and sizes, it is surprisingly difficult to make a device that will fit, be comfortable, and stay in place.
The technology is rapidly developing, but there are many challenges it must face before it can hit the market. Any product must be extensively tested and approved by the FDA before it can be used in a clinical setting. If overcoming FDA approval wasn’t a difficult enough barrier, insurance companies must also be on-board with supplying these devices for users. Luckily, as companies building exoskeletons are currently eager to enter the market with them, prices will drop as competitors fight to develop a solution at the lowest cost, and insurance companies will be sure to provide these options like they do wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
Societal adoption
Technology adapts faster than we are willing to accept. That is just a fact! Computers were crunching numbers for scientists in a lab far before IBM sold desk-top solutions to companies. The smartphone was a novel item that nobody saw a need for until we all started too often ignoring our reality for what our screen provides. This is just how it happens. Initially, a new technology is developed, there is a massive “hype” surrounding it, we lose confidence in it, and then some years later it surfaces in some practical implementation.
Luckily for us, this cycle has already happened for exoskeletons. They are primed for mass-adoption as the inevitable downturn of interest has happened and many companies are exiting the valley of death with FDA-approved devices ready for market. There are even companies that are developing exoskeletons for recreational use which will even further help people become accustomed to these devices and ensure their place in our society.
“[Exoskeletons] are primed for mass-adoption…many companies are exiting the valley of death with FDA-approved devices ready for market.”
Moving Forward
Now since we can clearly see that this technology will start popping up, it is highly important to embrace it to ensure its long-term success. Exoskeleton technology will surely make hard labor such as construction, moving, and assembly much more reasonable for the human body to perform. It will revolutionize rehabilitation of movement issues created by partial paralysis, and it may even provide you with a much-needed respite during your skiing trip!
About the author:
Ross Schneider is a current Master of Engineering candidate at UC Berkeley studying Mechanical Engineering. Connect with Ross.
