Vanderbilt University

Karl Zelik

Erik Lamers

Matthew Yandell

Emily Matijevich

Keaton Scherpereel

Dustin Howser

Leon Scott

A moment arm extension system and method for improving the mechanical advantage of a wearable assistance device by increasing the moment arm of a force-bearing member relative to an underlying body segment of a user are disclosed. The moment arm extension system achieves this by shifting the force-bearing member to lie farther away from the body segment of the user.

Moment arm extension system for exosuit

A wearable device operably worn by a user for monitoring musculoskeletal loading on structure inside the body of the user includes a plurality of sensors, each sensor operably worn by the user at a predetermined location and configured to detect information about a biomechanical activity of musculoskeletal tissues, a limb segment orientation, and/or a loading magnitude or location thereon; and a processing unit in communication with the plurality of sensors and configured to process the detected information by the plurality of sensors to estimate the musculoskeletal loading, and communicate the estimated musculoskeletal loading to the user and/or a party of interest.

Wearable device to monitor musculoskeletal loading, estimate tissue microdamage and provide injury risk biofeedback

Wearable assistance devices and methods of operating the same are provided. A wearable assistance device includes an upper-body interface with a front side and a rear side and a lower-body interface with a front side and a rear side. The assistance device also includes one or more elastic members, each of the elastic members mechanically coupling the upper-body interface to the lower-body interface and extending from the rear side of the upper-body interface to the rear side of the lower-body interface and along a back of the user so as to provide an assistive force parallel to the back of the user. Further, the assistance device also includes a clutch mechanism associated with each one of the elastic members, the clutch mechanism configured for selectively adjusting the assistive force provided by the one of the elastic members.

Growing community of inventors

Nashville, TN, United States of America

Karl Zelik