Researchers from the Motor Systems Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, have created a kind of technological t-shirt that helps people with muscle atrophy perform unimpeded movement – an “exomuscle if you will.
The project is called myoshirt and basically consists of a vest for the torso, equipped with Velcro closures that attach to the biceps and wrists, accompanied by a box with all the technological apparatus of the device.
The “exomuscle” works through sensors embedded in the fabric of the device, allowing an algorithm to detect the user’s intention to move, as well as calculate the force required to execute it. From there, a small motor stretches a cable that runs through the tissues, parallel to the muscles – think of it like an artificial “tendon”.
exomuscle
To test the material, 12 people were selected – 10 without any physical impairment, one person with a spinal injury and another with severe muscular dystrophy. The latter, Michael Hagmann, said he suffers from a rare disease called “Bethlem myopathy”, a congenital muscular dystrophy associated with changes in a protein known as “collagen VI” which causes rigid contractions and loss progressive muscle.
“My arms just started getting weaker,” said Hagmann, who was diagnosed in 2016.
“Although hospitals have many quality therapy devices, they are often expensive and not very portable,” said Marie Georgarakis, former postdoctoral student at ETH and lead developer of “exomuscle”. “Furthermore, there are few technical aids that patients can use directly in their daily lives. We want to fill that void. »
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The test results were promising: all participants were able to hold their arms in the air for much longer than usual, and isometric resistance (the time it takes for muscle “fatigue” to set in) increased by 30% in patients without motor difficulties; 60% in the case of Hagmann, and up to three times more in the spinal cord injured.
“In the next phase, we want to test our prototype outside the lab, in a natural environment with other candidates, using the results to further improve the device,” said Michele Xiloyannis, who is also working on the development of “the exomuscle”.
According to her, there are still a few goals to accomplish before the Myoshirt is mass-produced. The team’s idea is to further reduce its overall size so that it can be worn under regular clothing without interfering with users’ routines – today the motorized actuator and housing with sensors total around 4 kilograms (kg).
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