“That’s right! In the past, you had to manually adjust the settings when the road got bumpy or you came up stairs. But it was amazing how AI recognized pedestrians in real time and naturally switched between exercise modes. It even drastically reduced metabolic energy, significantly reducing fatigue.”

“But will such a smart exoskeleton work well in real-world settings? Each user’s body type and gait vary significantly.”

Yes, that’s one of the key limitations. Research shows that while AI can understand the environment well, each person’s walking pattern and force application vary, making a completely customized exoskeleton difficult. It can malfunction, especially when there are sudden changes in speed or force. Still, it’s proven to be much more adaptable than previous methods.

But isn’t that cutting-edge technology a bit pricey? It’s a wearable robot with AI, so it’s probably going to be expensive.

Yeah, to be honest, lightweight and soft exosuits are coming out, but they’re still expensive. And if they’re too heavy or uncomfortable, people won’t use them. So, I heard a lot of research is currently focused on lightweighting, comfort, and reducing maintenance costs. If we can just reduce the cost, I think they’ll be more widely used.

Will exoskeletons possibly transform our quality of life in the future? Not just for industrial use and rehabilitation, but also for daily assistance.

I’m really excited! Adding AI and IoT technology will make it easier to provide personalized assistance, and it’ll make life much safer for the elderly and people with disabilities. In fact, they’re expanding beyond medical and industrial applications to include everyday assistance, and the day may come when they become a natural part of our daily lives.