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EXO / Exoskeleton Race

VariLeg enhanced 1

SwitzerlandSwitzerland

About the Team

VariLeg enhanced is more than a walking device for paraplegics. "Our goal is to build high-performance robots to enhance the life of people with disabilities.", says Silvia Rohner, the project leader.

With the Enhanced Hybrid, the team VariLeg Enhanced is entering completely new territory. They have the great vision to develop a combination of wheelchair and exoskeleton. A hybrid that combines the advantages of both assistance devices.

The Enhanced Hybrid is a kind of "Transformer": a wheelchair that converts into an exoskeleton at the push of a button. This enables greater mobility and independence for paraplegics in everyday life.

Person with exoskeleton gets up from a sofa

About the Pilot

"We are like one big family, I think that's what makes us special", says Thomas Krieg. But the foreman also has a very competitive and performance-oriented side, which probably comes from his professional career as a bobsleigh racer. "In 2015 I got overturned in a training on the bob run. Since then I’m a paraplegic from the 12th thoracic vertebra downwards." In his everyday life he uses a wheelchair, but he trains once or twice a week with the exoskeleton on a replicated CYBATHLON course. When Thomas speaks about CYBATHLON one can sense the former professional athlete: "We have a fast and stable machine that offers many technical possibilities."

Videos

November 13th 2020, 12:00 am

VariLeg enhanced 1 - Team Portrait

Impressions

Man tries to keep his balance on uneven terrain with his exoskeleton
Man with exoskeleton descends a staircase
Man with exoskeleton stands in front of a staircase
Man overcomes obstacle on the ground with the help of exoskeleton. People stand around him to catch him if something goes wrong
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