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New robotic shorts could transform the way older adults and frail people walk. Designed to improve mobility and independence, the WalkON shorts were created to be worn over everyday clothes and could help those with chronic illnesses as well, the Washington Post reported. “A pouch-like harness goes around the waist and connects to artificial Kevlar “tendons” attached to the legs,” the Post said. “As the wearer walks, the shorts analyze the user’s movement pattern and take some of the load from their hips, adapting to their pace and kicking in just as the hip joint swings.” According to an analysis in Nature Machine Intelligence , the robotic shorts help people expend less energy while walking — improving walking efficiency. Wearable assistive technologies are considered a potential solution for age-related movement challenges, the analysis said, but “few have proven effective.” “Peoples’ walking efficiency declines as they grow older, posing constraints on mobility, and affecting independence and quality of life,” according to the analysis. The WalkON garment helps the wearer with hip flexion, the Post said, an activity that researchers say demands “considerable power,” especially on uneven terrain or stairs. The contraption can remove up to 22 pounds from a wearer’s weight, according to researchers, allowing people to take longer walks and build endurance. When measuring walking energy, WalkON reduced the metabolic cost required to walk outside, the researchers found, the Post said, and the majority of users said they felt they had control over their movements. Younger adults walking uphill saved 17.79 percent of their metabolic energy with the shorts, and older adults saved 10.48 percent of their energy with the shorts during level-ground walking, the Post reported. “Walking helps them to improve their metabolism, which in turn may have a positive effect on their illness,” said Lorenzo Masia, a professor of intelligent bio-robotic systems at the Technical University of Munich and the paper’s senior author, according to the Post.
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A lot of speculation surrounds if and when Auston Matthews is going to return soon, but for David Pagnotta, he believes the best course of action is a lengthy one. It's not been a fun end to the year for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with them being 5-5-0 over their last 10 games and the fact that Auston Matthews is out yet again after his nagging injury keeps him away from the team. Knowing he's at least out against the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals in the Leafs back-to-back, it's starting to get concerning. Though NHL insider David Pagnotta thinks the best case scenario for Matthews and the Leafs is a long-term stint on the shelf: Toronto Has Enough Firepower To Weather The Storm Though it hurts to have Matthews out again for a potentially extended period of time again, Toronto needs not to fret. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares have all played exceptionally this season, and with a bigger role given their captain's injury, they'll carry the load. Not to mention the sudden emergence of Toronto's third line with Nick Robertson, Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Suddenly a viable scoring option for Craig Berube, if they can get on a hot streak and continue it throughout the beginning of 2025 it'll be a huge burden off their stars' shoulders. There's always the potential for Brad Treliving to make a trade in order to gather reinforcements , although he might need to do some extra homework and make sure he's not going to overpay for a short-term issue. Unless Toronto falters completely, he shouldn't act too rashly when it comes to making a deal. Toronto's schedule going forward isn't necessarily a reprieve from their grueling December slate. January offers no back-to-back games but they have several games where they are sitting on one day of rest; not conducive to helping their injured players heal properly. With a strong push without their captain, the Leafs can set themselves up for a wildly successful run and prove they can handle things when the tough times arise. It's going to be a tough stretch, but if anyone can handle it; it's this year's version of the blue and white. This article first appeared on Hockey Patrol and was syndicated with permission.