The MARCH III, TU Delft's new exoskeleton, emerged as the winner at the Cybathlon Experience in Düsseldorf last Saturday. The student team Project MARCH was the only one that managed to complete all tasks within the allotted time.
The international obstacle race for exoskeletons took place during Rehacare, the German trade fair for rehabilitation technology in Düsseldorf. Teams from different countries competed against each other in this test for robotic harnesses developed for people with spinal cord injury. Together with 'pilot' Sjaan Quirijns, who has had a spinal cord injury since 2000, the MARCH III achieved the fastest time and the highest number of points. Thanks to improvements to the suit and intensive training of the pilot, the team successfully completed the obstacle course with four different obstacles in just under 9.5 minutes. Especially on autonomy, the team scored highly.
Stair climbing
The obstacles the exoskeletons had to endure were examples of obstacles that people in wheelchairs experience on a daily basis, such as climbing stairs and sitting down or getting up from a deep chair. The MARCH III won three of the four sections with the fastest time and most points, resulting in fastest overall time and highest overall score.
Slope test
Lennart Schut is an Industrial Design student and team manager of Project MARCH: "Technically, the incline test was our biggest challenge. Thanks to the improvements in the ankle joint, there was much more stability while going up and down the slope. We are immensely proud of this first place, but more importantly we feel that by developing this technique we are contributing to giving mobility back to people with spinal cord injury. Our ultimate goal is for the exoskeleton to become accessible to everyone who can benefit from it. We see it as a big step towards a future where wheelchairs are no longer needed for people with spinal cord injury."
Daily use
For the third year in a row, a TU Delft student team worked on optimising the exoskeleton. Once again, a team worked for a year, entirely voluntarily, on the new design and prototype. The MARCH lll contains important improvements to promote everyday usability and comfort. The new functionalities respond even better to user needs. Improvements to the ankle joint and software allow for variable step size and a more natural and smooth walking motion. In addition, extra support points around the hip and waist give better support and more stability when walking. The belly plate and back supports developed especially for Sjaan Quirijns provide improved trunk stability and better control while walking "The improvements in this year's exoskeleton are promising for the future" , says Quirijns. "They ensure that daily mobility limitations experienced by paraplegic patients today will be reduced quite a bit in the future."
The medical sector is also confident about the future of the suit. "For paraplegic patients, the exoskeleton technology not only contributes to mobility but also improves physical and mental fitness," says Ilse van Nes, rehabilitation doctor at the Sint Maartenskliniek where Sjaan Quirijns previously followed a rehabilitation programme with a commercial exoskeleton.
2020
Every year, a new group of TU Delft students designs and builds an exoskeleton. Meanwhile, the next Cybathlon in Zurich has been announced and will take place in 2020. With these races as a dot on the horizon, Project MARCH's student teams will also continue to work on optimising the exoskeleton next.
TU Twente
TU Twente was also present at the Cybathlon Experience. The Symbritron+ team's exoskeleton already suffered from technical defects during Friday's races, which meant the team had to work hard to get the exoskeleton ready for Saturday. "We managed to finish all the trials successfully," observed Bram van Gemeren of Roessingh Centrum voor Revalidatie, who is attached to the team as a physiotherapist. "Especially on the slope and stairs sections, the exoskeleton functioned well." In the end, Project MARCH just managed to collect more points.
Source: TU Delft/UTwente
