Last Updated on July 21, 2026 by Staff
Scientists in China have made a Soft Robotic Exosuit that uses Soft Robotic Exosuit artificial muscles instead of regular motors to help people walk more easily and naturally. This Soft Robotic Exosuit can really help adults, people who are recovering from injuries and workers who are on their feet for a long time by making walking less tiring.
The new Soft Robotic Exosuit design is different from robotic exoskeletons because it does not use heavy motors or loud air-pressure systems. Instead it uses artificial muscles made from a lightweight rubber-like material. In a study published in Science Advances, the Soft Robotic Exosuit was shown to reduce the energy needed for walking by 14%.
The researchers think that this new Soft Robotic Exosuit technology can lead to a generation of wearable robotic devices that are lighter, quieter and more comfortable to wear. These new devices can be a help to people who need mobility assistance.
Problems With Current Exosuits
exoskeletons have been in development for many years to help people with mobility problems. Many of these devices are used in rehabilitation clinics or factories to reduce strain on the body. However most current exosuits use motors, metal gears and pneumatic pumps to move, which makes them heavy, bulky and noisy.
The extra weight of these exosuits can limit a person’s movement and make it uncomfortable to wear for a long time. That is why researchers have been looking for lighter alternatives that can provide assistance without restricting mobility. The team from Hebei University of Technology in Tianjin focused on creating artificial muscles that behave like real human muscles.
Building Artificial Muscles
The researchers made their artificial muscles using a rubber-like material called a dielectric elastomer. This material changes shape when it is exposed to a field, which allows it to contract and relax like natural muscle tissue. Previous versions of dielectric elastomer muscles were not strong enough to generate force to help people walk. To solve this problem the team redesigned the material at the level making it stronger and more efficient. They were able to manufacture the material long thin fibers that could be bundled together to imitate the structure of biological muscles.
The result was an artificial muscle that can generate enough force to assist walking. The Soft Robotic Exosuit uses these muscles to help people walk more easily.
The Exosuit Design
The researchers created a wearable hip Soft Robotic Exosuit using the artificial muscles. The device has one muscle bundle on each side of the hips. Connect them to a compact battery pack. The Soft Robotic Exosuit does not have any motors or pneumatic equipment which makes it lighter and more comfortable to wear.
To test the Soft Robotic Exosuit six healthy volunteers participated in walking experiments on a treadmill. Each participant completed three tests: walking without the Soft Robotic Exosuit walking while wearing the inactive Soft Robotic Exosuit and walking with the artificial muscles activated.
Less Energy Needed
The results of the tests showed that the activated Soft Robotic Exosuit made walking significantly easier. The participants used an average of 13.9% energy compared to walking without assistance. This means that the Soft Robotic Exosuit can really help people walk easily and naturally.
The researchers also found that the participants’ leg muscles worked intensely when the artificial muscles were active. This is an advantage of the Soft Robotic Exosuit because it can reduce the strain on the body and make walking less tiring.
Future Possibilities
Although the new Soft Robotic Exosuit is a technological advancement there are still some challenges to overcome before it can be made available to the public. One limitation is the battery life, which currently restricts how long the device can operate before needing to be recharged.
The control system also needs to be improved so that it can automatically adjust to walking speeds, slopes or uneven terrain. The researchers plan to refine these features so that the Soft Robotic Exosuit can respond intelligently to a user’s movements in real-world environments.
If these improvements are successful the Soft Robotic Exosuit could become a tool for older adults, people undergoing rehabilitation, factory workers and anyone who needs extra mobility support. The lightweight design, flexible artificial muscles and reduced energy demands of the Soft Robotic Exosuit represent a step toward wearable robotics that feel more like an extension of the human body than a machine.
As research continues, the Soft Robotic Exosuit technology could transform the future of mobility assistance by making walking easier, safer and more comfortable for millions of people worldwide. The Soft Robotic Exosuit can really make a difference in people’s lives by providing them with the mobility assistance they need to live independently and comfortably.