CPS: TTP Option: Synergy: Human-Machine Interaction with Mobility Enhancing Soft Exosuits

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, with 80% of survivors having locomotor impairments. Individuals after stroke typically present with hemiparetic gait, characterized as slow, asymmetric, and inefficient. Our lab has been developing soft wearable cyber-physical sytems, called soft exosuits, that interface with paretic limb after stroke through soft and conformal textile-based structures to assist hemiparetic walking. Soft exosuits transmit mechanical power to human body joints via interaction between functional textiles worn on the body and Bowden cable retraction. This poster presents our development progress of soft exosuits, experimental results from patient-in-the-loop study, and transition of soft exosuit technology to commercial product.