Leg Exoskelton Makes Walking 7 Percent More Efficient

A new leg exoskeleton can improve the efficiency of walking by 7 percent – and do it with no power source—according to scientists at North Carolina State University who published their research today in Nature. Their creation could be a big boon for people with low mobility.

The device provides support through the carbon fiber frame and attached springs, which act as secondary muscles in the device. The spring and frame combine act as a sort of calf muscle. In doing so, they reroute energy that would normally go through a person's calf muscle and tendons. The whole thing weighs a little more than a pound, and most users were able to ignore it after about 20 minutes of use.

The device is still in the beginning stages, and won't work for running. But it's a big step toward improving the efficiency of walking, whether its for a hiker or someone who needs a boost in efficiency to save their energy.

(new) Meet Loopwheel, the First Shock-Absorbing Wheel

Don't tell British designer Sam Pearce the wheel isn't ripe for reinvention. He came up with Loopwheels, a shock-absorbing, spokeless wheel that's perfect for bikes and wheelchairs.

Pearce told Wired that the idea came to him when saw a woman forget to lift the front wheels of her stroller when it hit a curb and the baby fell out. "If the wheel hits the curb at the wrong angle it's useless," he said. "So I just wondered, why can't you put the suspension into the wheel?"

He crafted a system where the shock would be absorbed into the wheel itself, but the idea seemed like such a no-brainer that Pearce said it didn't feel "relevant," and he sat on it. Two years later and 70 iterations after, he and his team created a "carbon composite construction" wheel.

The inside of the wheel flexes and adjusts when weight is pressed on it. The coolest part is that the center of the wheel, or the hub, moves while the rim stays rigid.

Pearce has launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to roll the wheel into development. The drawback: These futuristic wheels are expensive to make. Until he figures out a more effective manufacturing process, one of them will cost you $2,000.