How to run 50% faster without external energy

Amanda Sutrisno; David J Braun

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aay1950

How to run 50% faster without external energy

Sci Adv. 2020 Mar 25;6(13):eaay1950. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aay1950. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Authors

Amanda Sutrisno¹, David J Braun¹

Affiliation

¹ Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology, Advanced Robotics and Control Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.

Abstract

Technological innovations may enable next-generation running shoes to provide unprecedented mobility. But how could a running shoe increase the speed of motion without providing external energy? We found that the top speed of running may be increased more than 50% using a catapult-like exoskeleton device, which does not provide external energy. Our finding uncovers the hidden potential of human performance augmentation via unpowered robotic exoskeletons. Our result may lead to a new-generation of augmentation devices developed for sports, rescue operations, and law enforcement, where humans could benefit from increased speed of motion.

Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).