Innovation Challenge Presentations
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm (EDT)
Check out the Innovation Challenge at WearRAcon Virtual where seven US and international finalist teams will be presenting innovative new ideas in wearable robotic technology. These teams represent universities and small businesses seeking to make a mark on wearable robotics with cutting-edge ideas. The first place team will receive a $2000 cash prize to help support development and commercialization of the technology, along with a pass to WearRAcon 22. The second place team receives a cash prize of $500. Online voting will be open from 5:00pm – 7:00pm (EDT) on April 28th and the winner will be announced during the opening remarks on Thursday morning. Special thank you to our Innovation Challenge sponsor:
We are pleased to announce the following finalists of the Innovation Challenge:
- Whole Arm and Tool Gravity Compensation
Leader: Alan Asbeck, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
Team: Joshua Hull, Graduate Researcher; Ranger Turner, Graduate Researcher, Virginia Tech
Supporting Documentation:
Asbeck-Whole-Arm and Tool Gravity Compensation Supplementary Slides
Hull and Turner 2020 – A Novel Method and Exoskeletons for Whole-arm Gravity Compensation
- Soft Robotic Hip Exosuit for Locomotion Assistance
Leader: Lily Baye-Wallace, Masters Student, Arizona State University
Team: Carly Thalman, PhD Student; Hyunglae Lee; Assistant Professor; Arizona State University
Supporting Documentation:
- Electromyography-Controlled Upper-Limb Exoskeleton
Leader: Claudia Boily, Vice-President, Competition, METIS
Team: Guillaume Deschênes, Mechanical Engineering Director; Charles-Olivier Loiselle, Electrical/Computer Engineering Co-Director; Sophie Martin, Electrical/Computer Engineering Co-Director, METIS
Supporting Documentation:
Electromyography-Controlled Upper-Limb Exoskeleton-Metis – Innovation Challenge 2021
- Smartfit – Personalized Fitness Using Reinforcement Learning
Leader: Varun Nalam, Doctoral Researcher, North Carolina State University
Team: Helen Huang, Professor; Xikai Tu, Research Scientist; Minhan Li, PhD Student, North Carolina State University
- Project Foot Rub: An Adaptive Robotic Footwear System
Leader: Josiah Steckenrider, Assistant Professor, United States Military Academy at West Point
Team: Jessica Schindler, CCDC Soldier Center; Cadet Anthony Giachin; Cadet Edrick Hudson; Cadet Collin Hurley; Cadet Jeremiah Lowery, United States Military Academy
Supporting Documentation:
- Exocast360
Mads Terndrup, CEO, TMT Systems
- Minimal Exoskeletons for Multiple Training
Leader: Xiaofeng Xiong, Assistant Professor, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark
Team: Niels Falk, CEO & Partner, HD Labs; Charles Xing, CEO, BioX; Cao Danh Do, Technician, SDU Biorobotics, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark; Poramate Manoonpong, Professor, SDU Biorobotics, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark
Supporting Documentation:
Online Adaptive Resistance Control of An Arm Exercise Exoskeleton