The extended wearability of exosuits

A walker may seem to be a cost-effective solution in the short run for helping out people with limited mobility, but SRI Ventures president Manish Kothari said that "it completely disempowers, removes dignity, removes freedom, and causes a whole host of other psychological problems."

The company goal is more than getting an elderly person to the corner store. It's more about stepping in to offer a walker alternative that removes "psychological-type encumbrances," as Kothari put it.

In addition to the elderly, target users could be disabled people and the military; the suits would be worn to make it easier for soldiers to carry their loads— a soldier could wear the suit to conserve energy while carrying a heavy pack—and the disabled would use the suit to perform basic tasks.

Also, their product literature lists a third user type—the industrial sector. Potential benefits in this category include injury mitigation, load offset posture support and dynamic bracing. The suit is promoted as lightweight, soft and comfortable.

Kothari could not say how much the suit will cost, said Brewster; "the company is currently looking at options for its commercialisation." While it takes five minutes or less to put on with some practice, Brewster added, "he believes the commercial product will take just two minutes to get into."

She said it "delivers a jolt of supporting power to the legs, arms, or torso exactly when needed to reduce the burden of a load or correct for the body's shortcomings." How it works: a suite of sensors, said Brewster, learns a person's movement styles and "kicks in power at the exact moment it is needed."