EXO I: The Exoskeleton That Replaces Buttons with Natural Intent

At Hefestru Fund, we are proud to announce that we have a fully functional hardware platform for our most ambitious project: EXO I. This robotic exoskeleton serves as more than just a support structure; it is a testbed designed to solve the most critical barrier in affordable assistive robotics: control.

The Challenge: Walking Shouldn't Require a Remote

Currently, affordable exoskeletons force users to rely on manual controls (buttons) to trigger every step. This increases cognitive load and makes movement feel unnatural. Conversely, high-end systems often rely on copying the trajectory of a healthy leg—a solution that is impossible for bilateral amputees, who are our primary focus.

Our Solution: "Intent, Not Buttons"

We are developing an open control architecture that uses lightweight Edge AI to process data in real-time. Our scientific objective is to demonstrate that user intention can be predicted by analyzing minimal kinematic patterns.

We are specifically working on:

• Intent Inference: Enabling EXO I to automatically detect when the user wants to initiate gait, modulate speed, or perform common postural transitions like sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit.
• Disturbance Discrimination: A major safety risk occurs when sensors mistake an accidental bump for a command to walk. We are developing algorithms capable of distinguishing between "Voluntary Motion" and "External Perturbation" in under 50 milliseconds.

Accessible Technology

To achieve this without skyrocketing costs, we avoid expensive biomedical sensors. Our innovation lies in fusing data from low-cost inertial sensors (IMUs) processed by accessible microcontrollers.

With EXO I, we aim to validate this control architecture and create a replicable "reference design" to accelerate innovation in Frugal Robotics. Your support allows us to continue refining these algorithms so that, very soon, technology adapts to the human, not the other way around.