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News Release 15-031

Researchers improve efficiency of human walking

Unpowered exoskeleton developed by Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina State researchers helps individuals walk using less energy

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men's legs with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton attached

Walking with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton. An unpowered clutch engages a spring in parallel with the Achilles tendon when the foot is on the ground, offloading the calf muscles and making walking easier.

Credit: Stephen Thrift, North Carolina State University


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animated gif showing a man walking in the park wearing a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton

Walking with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton. An unpowered clutch engages a spring in parallel with the Achilles tendon when the foot is on the ground, offloading the calf muscles and making walking easier.

Credit: Steve Collins


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man walking on treadmill with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton attached

Walking with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton. An unpowered clutch engages a spring in parallel with the Achilles tendon when the foot is on the ground, offloading the calf muscles and making walking easier.

Credit: College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (8.9 MB)

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man climbing stairs with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton attached

Walking with a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton. An unpowered clutch engages a spring in parallel with the Achilles tendon when the foot is on the ground, offloading the calf muscles and making walking easier.

Credit: College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (8.0 MB)

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Walking-assist clutch

An unpowered clutch engages a spring in parallel with the Achilles tendon when the foot is on the ground, offloading the calf muscles and making walking easier.

Credit: Steve Collins


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (2.1 MB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.