My aging engineer of a father had an idea for a great design that keep getting updated in my head. He said he would like some kind of passive exoskeleton strapped on his legs and pelvis. When sitting though, it would put some springs in tension that would then help him lift back up. I think it could also be designed to have a locked mode to "sit" comfortably against any straight wall/tree.

[–] technomad@slrpnk.net 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I wonder how much weight an effective design would add. It would probably need to be made out of some decent material, which would probably drive up the cost.

[–] keepthepace@slrpnk.net 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Aluminium would probably suffice, I doubt it would add more than a kilogram even if made of steel. You need an articulation that can hold let's say 150kg for an overweight person putting all their weight on one leg. It is not a crazy mechanical constraint. Bikes handle more with lightweight structure and more complex mechanisms.

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