© Joris Louwes
© Joris Louwes

Intelligent trousers set to assist the disabled

An international, multidisciplinary team of researchers are aiming to develop an intelligent clothing system named XoSoft.

There are around 3.2 million wheelchair users in Europe and another 40 million people who cannot walk without aid.

People with limitations in the independent movement of their legs can rely on a variety of assistive devices. However, the current assistive aids are often bulky, fairly inflexible and only offer partial support to the process of movement.

XoSoft researchers aim to produce technology that will help increase mobility for the elderly and disabled by creating a lower limb exoskeleton that is soft and modular.

Advanced textiles and smart materials will be used to sense variable stiffness in joints. Built-in sensors will communicate the user’s motion and intention to the controlling unit for analysis to determine and provide the appropriate level of assistance.

Researcher Eduardo Rocon, Centre for Automation and Robotics in Madrid, Spain, said: “The integrated sensors transmit the movement and intention of the user to the control unit, which thus determine and provide, through flexible actuators integrated into the fabric, the appropriate level of support depending on the user’s needs at a given time, the provided support device, relaxation or freedom of movement.”

The nine organisations from seven European countries involved in this public private partnership began the R&D project in February 2016 with the aim of developing the first fully functional prototype by 2019.

As well as five research groups from the disciplines of robotics, bioengineering, ambient intelligence and design, the team also includes four companies and clinical partners with expertise in rehabilitation technologies, geriatrics and prosthetic applications.

The EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, along with affiliated organisations in Switzerland, has committed €5.4m in funding to the project’s budget.