A variety of rigid exoskeletons have been developed for improving mobility over the decades. High forces and torques provided by those rigid exoskeletons assist the ankle, hip and/or knee, facilitating activities such as walking or lifting heavy objects. However, due to the complexity of the human musculoskeletal system, adjusting and aligning human...

­Visually impaired individuals often rely on assistive devices that attempt to encode spatial information into other means such as audio or tactile signals. However, challenges in implementation and interpretation of spatial information still exist. For instance, many existing devices still provide limited information to a user that the user must...

­While advancements in exoskeletons have grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade or so, the majority still provide powered or active assistance, few provide a passive solution. However, many people have difficulty rising from the ground, bed, a chair or other similar surfaces because of knee or leg muscle injuries, aging, obesity, or even simply...

­Inability to gauge force or loss of sensation in the feet or legs, caused by peripheral neuropathy or diabetes is estimated to affect over 20 million people in the United States. Because walking is inhibited, and trips and falls are more prevalent, this deficiency can have a profound effect on standard of living. While there have been other systems...

There are an estimated 2 million lower limb amputees in the United States alone and many types of prosthetic limbs have been developed to recreate functionality of those amputated limbs. Prosthetics often contain a liner to provide cushioning, support and improved fit between the residual limb and the prosthetic socket. However, current prosthetic liners...