Can I get exercise benefits from walking in an exoskeleton

Author: Sharon Jang | Reviewer: Riley Louie | Published: 7 April 2021 | Updated: ~

Although walking in an exoskeleton is used primarily for rehabilitation purposes, the effort required to use the device is strenuous enough to be considered exercise. For example, one (weak evidence) study found that walking in an exoskeleton requires 3.34 times more effort than pushing a wheelchair, and 1.9 times more effort compared to walking without impairment, despite walking 7.4 times slower. Not surprisingly, participants also perceive themselves to be working harder. Participants from three (weak evidence) studies exercised at a moderate intensity, which is enough to get cardiovascular benefits, while walking in a robotic exoskeleton. Although some participants from a (weak evidence) study reported working at a low intensity, the authors noted that based on their heart rate and oxygen consumption, they were actually working at a moderate intensity. This suggests that some people may actually be working their bodies harder than they feel they are!

So why is walking in an exoskeleton so much work? Research suggests that using an exoskeleton requires a lot of work from the arms and torso to support an upright posture and to shift weight to initiate stepping. However, relative to other walking orthotics (e.g., robotic gait orthoses, hip-knee-ankle-foot orthoses), FES, and bracing, walking in an exoskeleton is considerably less effort. So then why would you use an exoskeleton for exercise if using other walking orthotics is harder work? The important consideration is stamina. You might work harder walking with rigid braces, but you may tire out quickly. With an exoskeleton, the understanding is that the assisted walking could allow you to exercise at moderate intensity for much longer.