On 31 March 2023, MTEC-NSTDA, in collaboration with the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC) and the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE) hosted an event introducing an exosuit innovation designed for active aging.
Two exosuits were unveiled at the event. Rachel is a motion-assist bodysuit for seniors who still have mobility. It can be worn all day to help with the mobility and reduce injury risks in daily activities. Ross is a motion-assist exosuit designed for medical workers and caretakers of the elderly to provide back support for heavy lifting.
HSRI Executive Director Dr. Nopporn Cheanklin said that in 2022, HSRI provided a grant to MTEC to develop a prototype of motion-assist bodysuit Rachel based on motion-assist exo-apparel technology and injury-preventive wearable technology. The design of Rachel eliminates the use of an electric air pump that makes the suit heavy and bulky. Instead, special textile and fabrication technique are used to create artificial muscles, resulting in a lighter bodysuit that can be worn all day. Rachel can assist senior people moving around and reduce injury risks in their daily activities.
Dr. Nopporn explained that HSRI research fund is intended to create innovative solutions to support public health and enable domestic manufacturing of medical devices. HSRI plans to propose this motion-assist bodysuit to be included in the universal health coverage.
PMUC Deputy Director Assoc. Prof. Thongchai Suwonsichon said that PMUC is providing funding to MTEC from 2023 to 2024 to enable the development of a motion-assist exosuit for medical workers and caretakers of the elderly to provide back support for heavy lifting. The suit is designed to reduce forces on the wearer’s back. The innovation will strengthen Thailand’s long-term competitiveness and technological self-reliance through locally developed digital technology, AI and smart electronics.
MTEC Deputy Executive Director Dr. Kritsada Prapakorn said that MTEC established exoskeleton research program in response to the growing aging population in Thailand as the country reached an aged society in 2022. The research program is aimed at creating exosuits that facilitate mobility, reduce injury risks and can be manufactured at affordable price. MTEC and its partners, including the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital; College of Sports Science and Technology, Mahidol University and Pattern IT, developed an early version of motion-assist bodysuit by employing user-centered design and various technologies such as wearable motion tracking system, pneumatic artificial muscle, and skeleton and muscle simulation. The performance of the bodysuit was tested in Wearable Technologies Consulting Service Lab established with the fund provided by OIE.
In 2022, MTEC obtained a grant from HSRI and TSRI to make an improvement on the motion-assist bodysuit prototype so that it can be worn for an extended time period. Special textile and fabrication technique were employed to create artificial muscle, replacing the pneumatic tools and thereby making the suit lighter for all-day comfort.
This year, MTEC received a grant from PMUC to develop an exosuit to provide back support for medical workers and caretakers of senior people whose work usually involves heavy lifting. Based on this grant, motion-assist exosuit Ross was created, with a motion tracking and warning system to prevent wearers from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The suit is also designed with light and breathable materials suitable for Thailand’s tropical climate. To keep the production cost low so that the bodysuits are universally affordable, the research team made sure that the raw materials can all be sourced domestically and that the manufacturing process is not too complicated.
Thanks to grants from HSRI, TSRI, PMUC and OIE, MTEC research team is able to develop an exosuit innovation to support active aging and the wellbeing of senior citizens.