This episode we talk exoskeletons: what are they being used for now? What might they be used for in the future? And what happens when they’re everywhere?

Guests:

Tim Pote, PhD student at Virginia Tech

Greg Pote, Tim’s brother

Dr. Bill Marras, professor at The Ohio State University & Director of the Spine Research Institute

Larry Jasinksi, CEO, Rewalk

Ashley Shew, assistant professor at Virginia Tech in technology & disability, and author of Animal Constructions and Technological Knoweldge

Kim Sauder, graduate student in Disability Studies, author of Crippled Scholar blog

Bill Peace, anthropologist & bioethicist, author of Bad Cripple blog

Further Reading:

The robotic exoskeleton market is poised to grow to $1.9 billion in 2025, compared to $97 million in 2016, says ABI Research's Dan Kara.

Berkeley BLEEX Exoskeleton

Exoskeletons Won’t Turn Assembly Workers into Iron Man

We Try a New Exoskeleton for Construction Workers

The Exoskeletons Are Coming

ReWalk Testimonials

For heavy lifting, use exoskeletons with caution

Biomechanical evaluation of exoskeleton use on loading of the lumbar spine

Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load

The effects of a passive exoskeleton on muscle activity, discomfort and endurance time in forward bending work.

The Exoskeleton’s Hidden Burden

Walking is Over Rated

The Obsession With Walking

Exoskeletons as a Social Problem

You Cannot Kill a Bad Idea: The Exoskeleton Lives

ReWalk: A Plea for Common Sense

Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The voice of the future historian from the intro was by Sarah Werner. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky.

For more about the show or this episode go HERE. 

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