In the first ever annual ASTM Exo Games hosted by the University of Central Lancashire, four Master students in Electromechanical Engineering took on the challenge of designing an exoskeleton that complied with ASTM standards. The device was tailored to the four tasks representing typical activities an industrial exoskeleton user might perform: sitting on a chair and getting back up, walking a long distance with a weighted vest carrying weights, palletizing a number of heavy boxes and stacking cups on top of each other, which was mainly meant to judge how much the exoskeleton impeded its wearer's movements.
The BruBotics team's exoskeleton was an innovative passive exoskeleton with both back and arm support. Bungee chords connected between the wearer's legs and back would stretch when bending over, pulling the user back to an upright position with minimal effort. These elastic elements would loop around a set of wheels, increasing the lever arm and subsequently reducing spine compression, a common drawback of back exoskeletons. Another set of bungee chords connected between the shoulders and a set of gloves allowed the wearer to rest heavy weights onto their shoulders, delaying fatigue. Besides the physical tasks, a presentation and poster were also part of the competition.
The BruBotics (AKA Vexo) team was commended for their efforts by the jury and was awarded 1st place in the design competition. They came in 2nd place in the overall competition, narrowly beaten by the University of Central Lancashire team.
