Wallace and Gromit-style ‘robotic’ TROUSERS could help frail older people walk without falling

Robotic trousers didn’t work out so well for Wallace and Gromit – but scientists have come up with a pair which could help frail, older people walk without a risk of falling.

Inventors have produced ‘exo-leggings’ made from a soft, breathable material, unlike the rigid robotic exoskeletons often used to aid walking for people who have been paralysed.

Designed for able-bodied people, the trousers reduce the amount of energy used for walking by up to around 12 per cent, a study found.

Anyone could use them, rather like an electric bike, to provide some extra power, such as when climbing a particularly steep hill.

But researchers believe they will make older people more stable when they walk, by helping them regain their balance when their centre of mass moves toward their standing leg as they step out with the other leg.

Robotic trousers didn’t work out so well for Wallace and Gromit (pictured) – but scientists have come up with a pair which could help frail, older people walk without a risk of falling

The trousers (pictured) help with the slight sideways motion which people make while walking, before moving their body back to a central point. A cable attached to the trousers helps to perform these motions by pulling from the wearer’s thigh

The trousers help with the slight sideways motion which people make while walking, before moving their body back to a central point.

A cable attached to the trousers helps to perform these motions by pulling from the wearer’s thigh.

The ability of the exo-leggings to prevent falls hasn’t been investigated yet, but researchers plan to test the trousers on older people.

The researchers tested how well the trousers improved balance, and will test if they actually reduce falls in future studies.

The trousers were tested on 10 men, among whom five had never worn them before, in trials lasting 12 minutes.

The energy used for walking was judged using a respiratory device, which measures calories burned based on how much carbon dioxide someone exhales compared to the oxygen they inhaled. 

The technology, like similar exosuits and shorts, could also in the future power soldiers and warehouse staff to work for longer without getting tired.

The cable attached to the trousers has already been put into a light backpack in a new version of the technology, so people don’t need to be tethered on a treadmill when they wear the leggings.

Dr Myunghee Kim, co-author of a study on the exo-leggings, from the University of Illinois, said: ‘These could help an able-bodied person who is tired to climb a difficult hill or keep going during a difficult hike.’

Dr Guik Lee, another co-author from Chung-Ang University in South Korea, said: ‘The trousers will be particularly useful for frail older people who need help walking, and could prevent them falling by helping them to regain their balance.’

People take about 5,000 steps a day, covering a distance of 2.5 miles, and walking is one of the activities we do, aside from exercise, which requires the most energy.

The trousers (pictured), which weigh about 600 grams (1.3 pounds), come with shoulder straps to hold them up and are hoped to be made widely available in the next two to three years. But they require a full day of training on a treadmill before being used, as the pull from the cable, unless someone learns to reduce their own sideways gait, can feel a little like walking through water.

This is why there is so much interest in using technology to make it easier, with ‘exosuits’ reminiscent of the film Iron Man being seen as a potential solution.

These exosuits are becoming increasingly lightweight.

In 2019, scientists at Harvard University presented a pair of shorts which could be used to boost both walking and running.

The new trousers, which weigh about 600 grams (1.3 pounds), come with shoulder straps to hold them up and are hoped to be made widely available in the next two to three years.

But they require a full day of training on a treadmill before being used, as the pull from the cable, unless someone learns to reduce their own sideways gait, can feel a little like walking through water.