{"673621":{"#nid":"673621","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Universal Controller Could Push Robotic Prostheses, Exoskeletons Into Real-World Use","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ERobotic exoskeletons designed to help humans with walking or physically demanding work have been the stuff of sci-fi lore for decades. Remember \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/jtVygtT8VIc\u0022\u003EEllen Ripley in that Power Loader in \u003Cem\u003EAlien\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E? Or the crazy mobile platform \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/Z2OLmFw9wR8?si=hIsWKAiRYAWGWbpP\u0026amp;t=85\u0022\u003EGeorge McFly wore in 2015 in \u003Cem\u003EBack to the Future, Part II\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E because he threw his back out?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EResearchers are working on real-life robotic assistance that could protect workers from painful injuries and help stroke patients regain their mobility. So far, they have required extensive calibration and context-specific tuning, which keeps them largely limited to research labs.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMechanical engineers at Georgia Tech may be on the verge of changing that, allowing exoskeleton technology to be deployed in homes, workplaces, and more.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA team of researchers in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/young\u0022\u003EAaron Young\u2019s\u003C\/a\u003E lab have developed a universal approach to controlling robotic exoskeletons that requires no training, no calibration, and no adjustments to complicated algorithms. Instead, users can don the \u201cexo\u201d and go.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETheir system uses a kind of artificial intelligence called deep learning to autonomously adjust how the exoskeleton provides assistance, and they\u2019ve shown it works seamlessly to support walking, standing, and climbing stairs or ramps. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adi8852\u0022\u003EThey described their \u201cunified control framework\u201d March 20 in \u003Cem\u003EScience Robotics\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThe goal was not just to provide control across different activities, but to create a single unified system. You don\u0027t have to press buttons to switch between modes or have some classifier algorithm that tries to predict that you\u0027re climbing stairs or walking,\u201d said Young, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2024\/03\/universal-controller-could-push-robotic-prostheses-exoskeletons-real-world-use\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGet the full story on the College of Engineering website.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAaron Young\u2019s team has developed a wear-and-go approach that requires no calibration or training.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Aaron Young\u2019s team has developed a wear-and-go approach that requires no calibration or training."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2024-03-20 15:21:42","changed_gmt":"2024-04-11 22:18:35","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-03-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-03-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673448":{"id":"673448","type":"image","title":"Aaron-Young-Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-8778-h.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EResearcher Aaron Young makes adjustments to an experimental exoskeleton worn by then-Ph.D. student Dean Molinaro. The team used the exoskeleton to develop a unified control framework for robotic assistance devices that would allow users to put on an \u0022exo\u0022 and go \u2014 no extensive training, tuning, or calibration required. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1710947849","gmt_created":"2024-03-20 15:17:29","changed":"1710947653","gmt_changed":"2024-03-20 15:14:13","alt":"Researcher Aaron Young makes adjustments to an experimental exoskeleton worn by then-Ph.D. student Dean Molinaro.","file":{"fid":"256845","name":"Aaron-Young-Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-8778-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/20\/Aaron-Young-Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-8778-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/20\/Aaron-Young-Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-8778-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1210359,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/20\/Aaron-Young-Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-8778-h.jpg?itok=F-DsE5_T"}},"673449":{"id":"673449","type":"image","title":"Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-Ramp-8897-h.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDean Molinaro walks up an adjustable ramp while wearing an experimental exoskeleton, demonstrating how the team collected data in their effort to develop a unified control framework for robotic assistance devices. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1710948006","gmt_created":"2024-03-20 15:20:06","changed":"1710947868","gmt_changed":"2024-03-20 15:17:48","alt":"A man wearing a robotic exoskeleton on his upper legs and hips walks up a ramp in a large, open lab space.","file":{"fid":"256846","name":"Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-Ramp-8897-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/20\/Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-Ramp-8897-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/20\/Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-Ramp-8897-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":948862,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/20\/Dean-Molinaro-Exoskeleton-Universal-Controller-Ramp-8897-h.jpg?itok=wDszvt2B"}}},"media_ids":["673448","673449"],"groups":[{"id":"1237","name":"College of Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"168835","name":"Aaron Young"},{"id":"89521","name":"Exoskeleton"},{"id":"188098","name":"Science Robotics"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}