Myoshirt

Product Type:
Exoskeleton for the upper body
Prototype

Description:
Researchers from the Sensory- Motors Systems Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich have developed a myoshirt, which is a soft, wearable exomuscle for the upper body. It is designed to give people with restricted mobility more strength and endurance in their upper body. The shirt consists of a kind of vest with cuffs for the upper arms and a small box containing all the technology that is not directly needed on the body.

An intelligent algorithm uses sensors in the fabric to recognize what kind of movement the wearer wants to perform and how much strength is required to do so. A motor then shortens a cable running in the fabric parallel to the muscles - a kind of artificial tendon - and thus supports the movement. The support is always in harmony with the movement being performed and can be adjusted to individual preferences. The person using the device is always in control and can override the device at any time.