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Huge Advances Have Been Made In Wearable Robotic Devices

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Wednesday, April 19, 2017 - 3:13pm
Updated: Thursday, April 20, 2017 - 10:39am
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(Photo by Annika Cline - KJZZ)
Dr. Tom Sugar of ASU

What would it feel like to wear an exoskeleton or any sort of robotic device on your body when you’re feeling worn out and unable to climb that staircase to go to bed, or, much more seriously, if you’ve lost the use of a leg or other appendage?

Huge advances are being made in wearable robots, and that’s the focus of this week’s WeaRAcon ’17, which started Wednesday morning in downtown Phoenix.

ASU’s Tom Sugar is part of the event, thanks to the work he’s done. It includes a powered foot orthotic for stroke rehabilitation. He’s also done work on a wearable jetpack that helps runners go faster.

We spoke with Sugar about exoskeletons and more.

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