Virtual reality exoskeleton with feedback

The operation is ingenious

For decades, exoskeleton suits capable of amplifying human movements or providing realistic virtual reality sensations seemed to belong only to elite laboratories, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and were so heavy as to be impractical, but now a prototype called Kinethreads emerges to challenge that paradigm, flexible and costing less than $500.

The Kinethreads was developed by a team of researchers who decided to abandon the rigid concept of traditional exoskeletons and go for something much more organic, instead of metal plates and bulky structures, the suit is made of fabric, nylon threads and compact motors, controlled by a simple Raspberry Pi running scripts in Python.

With threads that run through channels sewn into the suit as if they were artificial tendons.

When the motors are activated, they tighten the threads and gently pull the muscles, guiding the user's movements. In the arms, the system manages to control shoulders, elbows and even the rotation of the wrists, and in the legs it distributes the pressure to stabilize the hips and knees.

The result is a suit that, in addition to helping in physical rehabilitation, can also transform the experience in virtual worlds. To increase immersion, engineers installed small vibration motors along the fibers; these hum at the exact moment the muscles are tense, creating a dialogue between body and machine that the brain interprets as anticipation of effort.

Over time, users rely less on artificial cues and regain natural control, something that can revolutionize physical therapy and treatments. physical training, but it is in the field of virtual reality where the Kinethreads Kit reveals its full impact, the suit weighs less than 5 kg, can be put on in just 30 seconds and offers up to 120 Newton of force with 200 Hz vibrotile feedback.

That means it can simulate tactile sensations from the weight of a delicate object to the violence of an explosion. In tests, participants reported the real sensation of carrying virtual objects, resisting impacts or moving in simulated environments in a way that was almost indistinguishable from reality.