ABLE Daily project is developing an affordable, user-friendly robotic exoskeleton for individuals with spinal cord injuries, enabling them to walk again in their communities and homes. The project focuses on a powered actuation system, lightweight design, intelligent software, and a user-centric approach to enhance mobility for real-world activities.
The Challenge
Enabling people to move on their own is crucial to unleash full human potential. Mobility is a fundamental part of living in society independently and freely, engaging in daily activities like working and enjoying leisure time. With population ageing, the number of neurological diseases has increased dramatically in recent years, already affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide. These people see their mobility and independence reduced in their daily lives due to disability.
Innovative mobility devices could be life-changing, but due to their high cost and implementation challenges, they have not become a reality outside the clinical setting. Disincentives such as fragmented markets, regulatory requirements, and reimbursement difficulties are not helping this change. Thus, options available to patients are sub-optimal and have not changed much in the last 50 years.
Barriers to Accessibility of Existing Solutions:
According to McKinsey, exoskeletons are among the 10 innovations that will have the greatest impact on global health in the coming years. They are external supporting structures that are placed on the user’s body to reinforce or restore human performance with powered movement.
People with disabilities could walk again by using a robotic exoskeleton to restore the affected leg movements. However, a few aspects restrict the use of these devices to only clinical settings:
- High Costs: Current exoskeletons remain expensive (above 100 k€), limiting accessibility for many individuals.
- Weight Limitations: Many devices are heavy and cumbersome, reducing practicality for daily use at home and in the community.
- Limited Performance: Most solutions are only usable in controlled clinical settings, requiring too much professional supervision and having issues with manoeuvrability.
Addressing these barriers is essential to unlock the full potential of exoskeleton technology for broader, real-world applications such as everyday outdoor walking.
What is ABLE Daily?
The ABLE Daily project addresses these important challenges by developing a next-generation smart, yet simple, robotic exoskeleton. This prototype device aims to empower individuals with spinal cord injuries to walk again in the community or at home, promoting health-enhancing physical activity in an upright position. This is expected to significantly enhance overall health, improve quality of life, and positively influence psychological well-being.
Core Objectives:
- Enhance mobility with improved maneuverability, in both indoor and outdoor settings.
- Enable “real-world” activities, such as climbing a stair or a ramp.
- Facilitate social interactions, such as enabling eye-level conversations.
- Ensure accessibility through a lightweight, intuitive and affordable design.
Consortium Partners:
- ABLE Human Motion (AHM): health-tech startup from Barcelona dedicated to democratizing access to robotics for rehabilitation and assistance of people with neurological impairments.
- Biomechanical Engineering Lab: research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and one of the seven areas of the Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CREB), dedicated to simulating and enhancing human movement.
Technical Innovations in ABLE Daily
ABLE Daily integrates state-of-the-art technologies to redefine robotics for the rehabilitation and assistance of people with disabilities. The project aims to break the barriers to mobility and independence that these people face every day.
Advanced Features:
- Powered Actuation System: high power and precise movement control for more challenging “real-world” activities.
- Lightweight and Modular Mechanical Frame: designed to improve transportation and servicing, while being long-lasting and cheaper to produce.
- Intelligent Software: integrate new features to climb a stair or ramps, community ambulation speed and improved manoeuvrability.
- Unparalleled Usability: a user-centric design that simplifies donning and doffing while ensuring intuitive operation to maximize user independence.
Work Packages:
The project’s development is structured into four key areas:
- WP1: Actuation System Development: Creating a robust, adaptable powered movement system.
- WP2: Mechanical Frame Design: Prototyping a lightweight and user-friendly structure.
- WP3: Software Engineering: Building intuitive, adaptive software tailored for individual needs.
- WP4: Clinical Validation: Testing and refining in real-world settings for optimal performance.
Expected Impact of the ABLE Daily project
The ABLE Daily exoskeleton aims to revolutionize the lives of people with mobility impairments.
Anticipated Benefits:
- Improved mobility for daily activities in an upright position.
- Improved general health, by promoting health-enhancing physical activity.
- Enhanced quality of life and positive impact on psychological well-being.
- Greater accessibility due to affordable and user-centric design.
The project highlights the potential of robotics and neurotechnology in shaping inclusive societies. By bridging the gap between clinical and community settings, it aims to empower people with disabilities in their everyday lives.
Co-Creation Excellence
The synergy between ABLE Human Motion and the UPC’s Biomechanical Engineering Lab ensures a robust foundation for success. Co-creation lies at the heart of ABLE Daily, allowing direct input from users, researchers and clinical experts to shape every aspect of the exoskeleton’s design and functionality. This collaborative approach ensures that the final product addresses real-world needs and challenges effectively.
Shaping the Future of Mobility
The ABLE Daily project exemplifies a vision for a more inclusive and accessible future. By combining cutting-edge technology with real-world usability, it aims to have a significant impact in the lives of people with neurological impairments. With clinical trials and rigorous testing underway, the project is set to deliver transformative results by its conclusion.
Colaboración Público-Privada 2021
El proyecto “ABLE Daily Exo: La nueva generación de exoesqueletos robóticos inteligentes para ayudar a las personas con discapacidad en las actividades de la vida diaria” con número de expediente CPP2021-008429 ha sido financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y por la Unión Europea NextGenerationEU/ PRTR.
