Review: Sportsmate 5 Fitness Exoskeleton

In winter, very cold nose, very fast. Whether I’m at home or out on the street, my nose – unlike any other part of my body – becomes freezing cold, ruining any activity I participate in. A few weeks ago, after years of suffering, I bought a nasal warmer. . Correct, they exist. Mine is technically a purple fleece mug with a strap: you slide your nose into it, and the muzzle stays warm. Problem solved — or so I thought.

What I didn’t take into account when buying a nasal warmer is stare. Just try going for a walk with the nebulizer. Even in London blasé – and even after two years of wearing a general mask – people will look at you, make funny faces at you, and most likely judge you for wearing a fleece on your nose. Now I only wear nose warmers outdoors when absolutely necessary; I mostly use it in the comfort of my home. Which leads me to ask: If the world can’t cope with nose warmers, will it ever be ready for exoskeletons?

Hong Kong and Shenzhen-based Enhanced Robotics created the Sportsmate 5. On the surface, it looks like a rather complicated tool belt. In fact, it’s an exoskeleton — part of a wearable robot that can enhance a person’s physical performance — designed for athletes and sports enthusiasts alike.

Enhanced Robotic hopes that the Sportsmate 5 will become the first consumer exoskeleton ever: For now, these machines are either developed with soldiers in mind on foot (Darpa used to be). funding technology research for decades) or used in medical contexts as mobility aids for people with spinal cord injury.

The Sportsmate 5 pitch is quite different: It wants to help you run faster or longer without getting too tired, and it wants to be an all-inclusive piece of equipment to spice up your bodybuilding workouts. The project so far has raised over $119,000 on Kickstarter—The initial stated target pass was $7,500 — and if all goes to plan, the first devices will ship next May at a price of $1,458. Take the risk and pay your money now, and it’s down to $899. But is it worth playing? Luckily, Robotics Technology sent me a prototype.

The design of the Sportsmate 5 is pretty simple: It’s a plastic strap — lined with an inflatable airbag for a snug fit — powered by two small motors or actuators that rest on the hip joint. wear. The actuators, powered by a 3,000 mAh/22.2V rechargeable lithium-ion battery located at the rear of the belt, drive two segmented metal rods, which are in turn clamped to a pair of belts. cloth leg, to wrap around the thigh.

The exoskeleton comes in a variety of sizes — I had to provide measurements for waist and thigh circumference — and in its final version, it weighs 2.5 pounds and includes two shoulder straps. My prototype weighs a bit more (about 3.5 kg) and doesn’t have a shoulder kit.

Enhanced Robotics founder and CEO Hanqi Leon Zhu is more than just some random Robocop enthusiast: he’s a brilliant electromechanical engineer with a successful academic career, and the company says that — besides working with coaches and athletes — the company is still collaborating “on exoskeleton research” with academics at the University of Michigan and Clemson University. Indeed, Zhu has devoted Doctoral thesis, presented in 2020 at the University of Texas at Dallas, to develop a new type of user-friendly medical exoskeleton.