3D PRINTED PERSONAL EKSO
3D PRINTED PERSONAL EKSO
3D PRINTED PERSONAL EKSO
What is it? An exoskeletal robot may soon replace the wheelchair for people in need. For them, the exoskeleton becomes their new musculature. It will enable every step that they will take, and provide freedom of movement and a facsimile of a return to normal motion. Already, Ekso Bionics’ current robot allows users to walk and interact with society eye-to-eye, while providing for their body the movement to keep many systems active. This prototype enhances the human experience with 3D printed parts that connect body to robot. These parts were created by referencing a 3D body scan, providing an accurate, symbiotic connection to the body. The parts are ventilated with a complex pattern, allowing the skin to breathe, while keeping the product weight minimized. Finally, the parts add grace and fluid lines to an otherwise mechanical robot, visually bridging the void between biology and technology.
With Amanda dressed in a unitard, the team scanned her both sitting and standing (assisted), and wearing the robot, in order to study the shape changes in her spine and tissue in various postures. Amanda Boxtel 3D scan data and CAD model.
CHALLENGE The goal was to create parts to connect the body of a paralyzed user to a robot as naturally and respectfully as possible. This required the creation of custom, 3D printed parts that would envelop the body in exact locations to provide balance and support, while carefully avoiding areas prone to bruising. The fixed interstitial parts had to improve the robot’s donning and doffing speed and simplicity, preferably avoiding all of the current Velcro straps used in the production units. The parts would have to be custom printed for each user, yet easily implemented and template-driven in order to create many more mass-customized units. 3D scanning a paralyzed user requires suspending that person for the duration of a scan, then digitally compensating to simulate the changes from a body when supported by robot and skeleton. Finally, the 3D printed parts must be strong enough to hold the body in various states, while remaining flexible enough to provide comfort at each contact region.
SOLUTION An exoskeletal robot provides a partial solution for a user with mobility needs. To more fully address the needs of the individual, it must integrate that user directly into the robot, and its very creation must be driven by the uniqueness of that unique person. It must reflect both their physicality as well as their personality, inviting them to customize various patterns and designs that infuses their robot with individual form and style.
Many scale prototypes were 3D printed overnight throughout the process to test design, fit and comfort. Amanda was able to stand and walk, debuting the conceptual, hybrid robot onstage in Budapest at a Singularity University event in November 15th.
By 3D scanning the body, we can create an even distribution of pressure about the musculature of the legs, which are highly sensitive to uneven pressure, despite the lack of tactile sensation. The filigree pattern allows the skin to ventilate, which reduces sweat buildup, reducing friction and the risk of infection. The spinal section was created as a digital average between a standing scan and a seated scan, intending to conform accurately and comfortably to the upper body. Handles were designed into the printed parts, though disguised into the overall form of the products, diminishing the visual handle element and its connotation. The filigree lines are striated, suggesting the musculature that such parts replace. And the overall printed forms intend to showcase the fluidity of the body and natural forms, mitigating the rigid mechanical forms of the robot.
3D PRINTED PERSONAL EKSO
What is it? An exoskeletal robot may soon replace the wheelchair for people in need. For them, the exoskeleton becomes their new musculature. It will enable every step that they will take, and provide freedom of movement and a facsimile of a return to normal motion. Already, Ekso Bionics’ current robot allows users to walk and interact with society eye-to-eye, while providing for their body the movement to keep many systems active. This prototype enhances the human experience with 3D printed parts that connect body to robot. These parts were created by referencing a 3D body scan, providing an accurate, symbiotic connection to the body. The parts are ventilated with a complex pattern, allowing the skin to breathe, while keeping the product weight minimized. Finally, the parts add grace and fluid lines to an otherwise mechanical robot, visually bridging the void between biology and technology.
With Amanda dressed in a unitard, the team scanned her both sitting and standing (assisted), and wearing the robot, in order to study the shape changes in her spine and tissue in various postures. Amanda Boxtel 3D scan data and CAD model.
CHALLENGE The goal was to create parts to connect the body of a paralyzed user to a robot as naturally and respectfully as possible. This required the creation of custom, 3D printed parts that would envelop the body in exact locations to provide balance and support, while carefully avoiding areas prone to bruising. The fixed interstitial parts had to improve the robot’s donning and doffing speed and simplicity, preferably avoiding all of the current Velcro straps used in the production units. The parts would have to be custom printed for each user, yet easily implemented and template-driven in order to create many more mass-customized units. 3D scanning a paralyzed user requires suspending that person for the duration of a scan, then digitally compensating to simulate the changes from a body when supported by robot and skeleton. Finally, the 3D printed parts must be strong enough to hold the body in various states, while remaining flexible enough to provide comfort at each contact region.
SOLUTION An exoskeletal robot provides a partial solution for a user with mobility needs. To more fully address the needs of the individual, it must integrate that user directly into the robot, and its very creation must be driven by the uniqueness of that unique person. It must reflect both their physicality as well as their personality, inviting them to customize various patterns and designs that infuses their robot with individual form and style.
Many scale prototypes were 3D printed overnight throughout the process to test design, fit and comfort. Amanda was able to stand and walk, debuting the conceptual, hybrid robot onstage in Budapest at a Singularity University event in November 15th.
By 3D scanning the body, we can create an even distribution of pressure about the musculature of the legs, which are highly sensitive to uneven pressure, despite the lack of tactile sensation. The filigree pattern allows the skin to ventilate, which reduces sweat buildup, reducing friction and the risk of infection. The spinal section was created as a digital average between a standing scan and a seated scan, intending to conform accurately and comfortably to the upper body. Handles were designed into the printed parts, though disguised into the overall form of the products, diminishing the visual handle element and its connotation. The filigree lines are striated, suggesting the musculature that such parts replace. And the overall printed forms intend to showcase the fluidity of the body and natural forms, mitigating the rigid mechanical forms of the robot.
