EXO / Exoskeleton Race
KAIST
South Korea
About the Team
We are an engineering team consisting of four Ph.D. candidates and four Master's course students from EXO Lab, Mechanical Engineering, KAIST (advisor: Professor Kyoungchul Kong).
We have developed a completely novel exoskeleton that can walk without crutches, enables self-donning by the pilot, and detects obstacles using a vision algorithm.
Every part of the exoskeleton, including hardware (actuators, mechanical frames, motor drivers, power circuits) and software (from low-level current controllers to high-level human oriented trajectory generation algorithms), has been fully developed by these competent and passionate members.
We look forward to meeting you at the competition!
KAIST
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KAIST
South Korea
About the Pilot
I am Seunghwan Kim, a pilot from Team KAIST EXOLAB. Approximately seven years ago, I suffered a T10 spinal cord injury in a traffic accident, resulting in paraplegia. Despite this setback, I have never given up and have continued to live my life, consistently preparing for the day I might walk again.
Since joining ExoLab, I have actively contributed my perspective as a paraplegic to the research, providing real-world feedback to advance robotic development. In this CYBATHLON, I aim to take on new challenges with the technology of 'WalkONSuit F1,' striving for a better future. My journey now is just the beginning and a step toward greater goals.
About the Device
WalkONSuit F1 is a powered exoskeleton for people with complete paraplegia developed by KAIST Exoskeleton Lab.
Unlike conventional powered exoskeletons, it features a design that envelopes the front of the pilot. This allows the pilot to remain seated in a wheelchair while the robot automatically positions itself onto the pilot, making it easy to wear the exoskeleton.
WalkONSuit F1 has a total of 12 degrees of freedom, enabling it to maintain balance and change direction while walking without the use of crutches.
It can also walk without the pilot, which we call Humanoid mode.
WalkONSuit F1 is still under development. Stay tuned while we are on race, and for more features and information, visit our YouTube channel.