IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2017 - 75

WalkON
Suit
A Medalist in the
Powered Exoskeleton
Race of Cybathlon 2016

By Jungsu Choi, Byeonghun Na,
Pyeong-Gook Jung, Dong-wook Rha,
and Kyoungchl Kong

T

he powered exoskeleton race in Cybathlon 2016
consisted of six challenging tasks that required a
pilot with complete paraplegia to walk on a level
floor, uphill, downhill, and on stairs; stand up
and sit down; step on stones; and even pass
through a tilted path. All of these tasks addressed exactly
the requirements for a powered exoskeleton designed
to assist with activities of daily living (ADL) for paraplegics. Every team brought unique technologies to
achieve this goal.
Team SG Mechatronics, a bronze medalist in
the race, developed a powered exoskeleton called
the WalkON Suit to participate in Cybathlon 2016.
To accomplish all the tasks, the WalkON Suit was
developed based on several special design and control technologies, such as a hybrid actuation mechanism, a biarticular transmission system, distributed
batteries, and distributed actuators. In this article, the
overall production of the WalkON Suit is discussed.
Overview of Powered Exoskeletons
Spinal-cord injury (SCI) is caused by various accidents and diseases such as traffic accidents, injuries from falls, tumors, and myelitis
[1]. Advances in the medical care of patients with SCI have

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2017.2752285
Date of publication: 6 November 2017

1070-9932/17©2017IEEE

DECEMBER 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2017

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