I am surprised that so many developments, jobs, and internships are presented every week in the world of exoskeleton technology. Please don’t take it for granted, as sometimes there is a burst of activity before things quiet down.
Summary of Week 7’s Newsletter (subscribe and have it delivered to your inbox for best results):
Podcast
• Bobby (ExR) was featured on Humotech’s Podcast (Season 2) discussing wearable robotics.
Industrial / Occupational
• NSC Grant: The National Safety Council is offering up to $20k for occupational exoskeleton deployment. Proposals are due March 7. This grant applies to HeroWear and likely Hapo products.
• Farming Exoskeletons: The article explores barriers to adoption in agriculture. Education and task-specific designs are key to greater adoption.
Research and Science
• SuperHuman 2025 Consortium: European initiative gaining traction in wearable robotics.
• Study on Back-Support Exoskeletons: Evaluates fatigue mitigation in complex, repetitive manual tasks, focusing on passive back-support devices.
Medical
• Human In Motion Robotics: Showcasing XoMotion exoskeleton at Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Closing Ceremony.
• Soft Robotics in Neurorehabilitation: The study highlights the promise of hand exoskeletons for rehabilitation but notes challenges with torque, portability, and manufacturing scalability.
• Barmer and Lifeward Agreement: Lifeward finalizes a personal exoskeleton reimbursement deal with Barmer, covering 8.5M lives in Germany.
• Ekso Indego® Personal: Exclusive distribution by National Seating & Mobility (NSM).
• REEV: Medtech startup raises $9.2M to advance mobility assistance solutions.
Education
• EduExo Pro Updates: This is an open-source educational exoskeleton for biomedical and control engineering. Upgrades include switching to Li-Polymer batteries, USB recharging, a new interface, and threshold-based control.
Military
• Exoskeletons in Mountain Warfare: During testing, an undisclosed passive gravity compensation system faced challenges with crawling and obstacle navigation.
Fun and Viral Content
• TylerCsatari and Hypershell: A 49-second video testing a $1,000 bionic exoskeleton becomes the most-watched exoskeleton video on YouTube with 11M views.
Business and Policy
• AI Action Summit in Paris: €109 billion investment in AI and robotics announced, with companies like Wandercraft cited as examples of technological progress.
