To date, most research and development for exoskeletons has been spent on engineering the components and devices while disregarding the importance of a stable, comfortable and energy-efficient user interface. This is similar to the way prosthetic systems, that share common goals of increased mobility, reduced metabolic costs, and injury prevention, have evolved, paying only limited attention to skeletal connectivity. Yet, it can be argued the interface is the core component of both systems as it needs to provide optimum comfort, load bearing, force distribution and transfer in a way that ensures wearer safety and metabolic efficiency, ideally creating a seamless, synchronized connection between user and device. To address this problem, biodesigns proposes to look to nature for proven connection structures, which typically rely on incorporating biotensegrity principles to provide stability in ambulatory exoskeletal lifeforms. Biodesigns has already successfully employed such principles in designing osseostabilizing prosthetic interface technologies, providing foundational synergy for this project. For Phase I we propose to develop innovative bio-inspired conceptual designs that could radically improve upon existing exoskeleton interface connectivity approaches, potentially rewriting the rules for human attachment products for both lower limb and upper body applications, resulting in improved exoskeleton function, performance, and user acceptance.
