Designer Zhou Leijing and her team are brainstorming ways improve the lives of disabled dogs, one leg at a time. Instead of clunky, inefficient, and non-ergonomic carts that paralyzed dogs have no choice but to use for mobility, she is bringing the latest intelligent technology to them in the form of an attachable exoskeleton called Repawse.
An established designer with a background in human-computer interaction and intelligent design. And as the owner of an injured dog, Zhou has personal experience with the outdated and limited mobility options on the market for dogs. Repawse is designed to be an innovative alternative, an upgrade. It is a groundbreaking invention that will begin to improve not only mobility and and accessibility for disabled dogs, but also their general well-being and comfort.
Zhou approached the challenge with a designer’s eye to make walking with the exoskeleton as natural as possible. She and her team used human exoskeletons as inspiration, tailoring them to a dog’s physiology. Repawse uses surface electromyographic sensors, or sEMG sensors, attached to the working front legs to detect when they move and respond simultaneously.
This innovative approach earned the team a Silver Award in the A’ Pet and Animal Product Design category. The international design competition covers a broad range of disciplines. It recognizes projects that demonstrate excellence in innovation, functionality, and social impact.
Repawse’s recognition helps spread awareness of their technology to get more attention from people who want to continue improving on the project. Getting disabled pets to walk again is no longer a far-fetched, futuristic fantasy.
Designer Zhou Leijing and her team of researchers have found a way to adapt human exoskeletons for dogs with impaired hind legs, to help them walk again.
Their prosthetics for pets design, known as Repawse, is meant to optimize simplicity and ergonomics.
The exoskeleton attaches to a dog’s hind legs and uses sensors to intuitively predict when to move for them based on the movement of the front legs.
Source: attachable exoskeleton for dogs helps them walk again after injury or illness
All images via A’ Design Award & Competition.
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