New exoskeleton can run 7 times faster than usual

The ability to run fast can come in handy in the mostin different areas: it doesn’t matter whether you are engaged in professional sports or just want to get to the shelving with buckwheat in the store faster, ahead of all your competitors. And for those, and for others, specialists from the University of Vanderbilt in the United States came up with a new unique device that allows you to run at a speed 7 times faster than usual. It is known that, when used correctly, the mechanism is able to bring the person’s running speed closer to bicycle performance, amounting to about 20.9 meters per second.

A person can learn to run at the speed of a bicycle

Exoskeleton Is a device that is worn on the bodyhuman and helps to transfer physical activities easier. For example, wearing an exoskeleton, a person can run faster and longer, it is easier to lift weights and jump high. These devices can be especially useful to military and rescuers.

How to run fast?

Unique exoskeleton capable of givingabsolutely any person the speed of a bicycle, is a system whose principle of operation is very similar to a catapult. A special spring mechanism, which became the basis of an unusual device, can provide incomparable support to people experiencing problems with the work of the lower limbs. And, although the exoskeleton is still undergoing a testing phase, the developers claim that their prototype will be ready by next year.

The result of our work can lead toa new generation of devices specifically designed not only for rescue operations and improving the work of law enforcement agencies, but also for those areas where people could benefit from increased speed, the researchers write in their published article.

The mechanism of the device itself is based onThe principle of operation of a conventional bicycle, the pedals of which help us to move ourselves forward as we move, sciencealert.com writes. However, making the legs move up and down, a person taking a bike ride does not even realize that in this way he loses a lot of potentially useful time, which is wasted when you press the pedals.

This exoskeleton helps people to run fast, but this one - to lift weights

So how is it better to use this "lost"time? Researchers behind the creation of the exoskeleton, examined various concepts, conducting experiments on the spring mount, the action of which is similar to the action of a catapult. According to their theory, the legs are able to perform useful work even when in a calm state, and a special pair of springs attached to the legs can help to achieve this effect. However, although such an idea has existed for more than a century, in itself it is not particularly effective. In order to improve the previously ineffective technology and verify how the energy is distributed from the change in the shape of the spring, the researchers decided to model the prototype of the device on a computer.

The mechanism of operation of an exoskeleton working with a special spring

So, according to the ones put forward during the experimentassumptions, the effective operation of the device created by scientists will come from bending the legs and moving forward in the air. Giving the body extra support, the spring can release this energy in contact with the ground, helping a person develop a good extra speed. The analysis shows that in order to achieve maximum speeds, the spring would have to capture energy from each step by 96 percent, while simultaneously transmitting all the acceleration received. If so, then the figure of 20.9 meters per second - the maximum speed when using the "boots-walkers" of the XXI century - is also based on the energy created by a world-class cyclist. In other words, for most of the population of our planet, the speed with the use of the device may seem slightly lower than stated.

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Researchers currently havemany problems associated with creating an exoskeleton. Be that as it may, experts are optimistic and intend to adapt the spring to various speeds, as gears on a bicycle do. And, who knows, maybe a new technology can one day fit in ordinary shoes, thereby creating the prerequisites for its use not only in extreme situations, but also when creating completely new sports.