Robotic pants could help people stay mobile longer

Robotic pants could help people stay mobile longer originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

A group of scientists have developed a pair of robotic pants that could help stroke survivors and people struggling with mobility issues improve their quality of life.

The pants, which debuted this week at the British Science Festival, combine electroactive polymers technology, graphene composites and nanoparticles to simulate muscle movement. By doing so, the pants help wearers move more easily from a sitting to standing position, and helps them walk for longer periods of time.

“If you keep people mobile longer, it keeps them cognitively able longer,” Jonathan Rossiter, a professor of robotics at the University of Bristol in Bristol, England, and the lead researcher of the project, told ABC News.

PHOTO: Researchers at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, debuted 'The Right Trousers,' a pair of robotic pants to aid people with mobility issues and stroke survivors regain mobility, at the British Science Festival, Sept. 11, 2018. (Bristol Robotics Laboratory) — PHOTO: Researchers at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, debuted ‘The Right Trousers,’ a pair of robotic pants to aid people with mobility issues and stroke survivors regain mobility, at the British Science Festival, Sept. 11, 2018. (Bristol Robotics Laboratory)

“Keeping people happy longer, that’s the real goal,” Rossiter said.

(MORE: FDA calls e-cigarettes ‘an epidemic’ among minors, cracks down on retailers)

PHOTO: Researchers at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, debuted 'The Right Trousers,' a pair of robotic pants to help people with mobility issues and stroke survivors regain mobility, at the British Science Festival on Sept. 11, 2018. (Bristol Robotics Laboratory) — PHOTO: Researchers at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, debuted ‘The Right Trousers,’ a pair of robotic pants to help people with mobility issues and stroke survivors regain mobility, at the British Science Festival on Sept. 11, 2018. (Bristol Robotics Laboratory)

More than 21 million Americans were estimated in a 2016 U.S. Census Bureau to have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

PHOTO: An infographic provided by researchers at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, explains how 'The Right Trousers' can aid people with mobility issues and stroke survivors regain mobility. (Bristol Robotics Laboratory) — PHOTO: An infographic provided by researchers at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, explains how ‘The Right Trousers’ can aid people with mobility issues and stroke survivors regain mobility. (Bristol Robotics Laboratory)

Rossiter said the pants, which have not yet been tested on humans, could be just the beginning of a new wave of robotic clothing that could assist in everyday life tasks to improve people’s quality of life.

(MORE: There’s really not much proof probiotics work: Study)

“Our clothing hasn’t changed in over 1,000 years,” Rossiter said.

“We’re due for a change.”