Our Four-Legged Friends Have Gone Bionic

Few things are sadder than when our furry friends are injured or ill and can’t get around like they used to. Not only do these situations rob dogs of the joy that normally oozes out of them, but they also make it difficult for them to do the simplest of things, like walking over to their food dishes. Aside from the mental toll it takes on their owners, it can also be a burden in other ways. It is awfully hard to take time away from everything to provide a pet with around-the-clock care.

A designer named Leijing Zhou wondered if it might be possible to adapt some of the technologies that assist people to help dogs in a similar situation. She focused on exoskeletons, in particular, which could give an injured or aging dog just the boost it needs to put some pep back in its step. The design she came up with, called Repawse, consists of two parts: a jacket-like garment equipped with sensors, and a mechatronic exoskeleton that fits over a rear leg.

The jacket has extensions that cover the top part of the front legs. These extensions are equipped with surface electromyography sensors that detect electrical activity associated with muscle movement. This data is fed into a controller that drives a linear actuator in the exoskeleton. The job of the controller is to help the rear leg move in a natural way, in coordination with how the dog moves its healthy front legs.

Since the controller only requires feedback from the dog’s motion of the front legs, no user interaction is required. This is an important consideration, because dogs obviously can’t interact with touchscreens or issue voice commands like a person can.

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, so there is no way to make a one-size-fits-all Repawse. Rather, each dog must individually undergo a full-body scan. This information is then used to 3D print custom parts that are a perfect fit. Lightweight components and memory foam are also included in the build to make the system as comfortable as possible. That way, it won’t be a bother for a dog that has to wear it long-term.

At present, Repawse is in the prototype phase, so there is no telling if it will ever see the light of day as a commercial product. But with any luck, our best friends will get a boost from technology in the future when they need it most.