Free exoskeleton blueprint could accelerate rehab robotics research

 With ANY STROKE LEADERSHIP AT ALL; we could instruct our researchers to create exo pieces that will get us recovered. But there is NO LEADERSHIP, so we'll continue to be screwed until survivors are in charge.

Free exoskeleton blueprint could accelerate rehab robotics research

A team from the Biomechatronic Lab at Northern Arizona University has developed OpenExo — the world’s first comprehensive open-source exoskeleton framework to help grow the field of robotic exoskeleton research. Credit: OpenExo/NAU.

June 26, 2025

Coco Veldkamp

Coco Veldkamp is a Melbourne-based science journalist.

Exoskeletons are no longer just the stuff of science fiction or super-soldier fantasies. While some devices are designed to enhance human performance — enabling users to lift more, move faster, or cover longer distances — the most transformative promise of exoskeleton technology lies in the field of healthcare.

For individuals living with physical disabilities — including spinal cord injuries, stroke-related impairments and cerebral palsy — robotic exoskeletons offer a pathway to greater independence, improved mobility and enhanced quality of life.

And thanks to new research out of the United States, that future might be more accessible than ever before.

A team from the Biomechatronic Lab at Northern Arizona University (NAU) has developed OpenExo — the world’s first comprehensive open-source exoskeleton framework. The system, which is now freely available online, provides all the instructions, code and design files needed to build a working exoskeleton.

Published in Science Robotics, the framework includes step-by-step guides for constructing either single- or multi-joint exoskeletons. This allows researchers, developers and clinicians around the world to build upon existing designs rather than starting from scratch — a process that is often expensive and technically demanding.

^{An excerpt from the OpenExo open-source robotic exoskeleton blueprints. Credit: OpenExo / NAU Biomechatronic Lab.}

“Our project is important to the research community because it significantly lowers the barriers to entry,” says Professor Zach Lerner, head of the Biomechatronic Lab. “In a time of diminishing federal grant funding, open-source systems like OpenExo become increasingly critical for facilitating state-of-the-art research on robot-aided rehabilitation and mobility augmentation.” 

The high cost of medically-required exoskeletons — currently ranging from around $AUD 60,000 to $140,000 — remains one of the biggest hurdles to widespread adoption. By making exoskeletons more accessible, OpenExo could catalyse a wave of innovation, especially in university labs, rehabilitation centres, and low-resource settings.

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Open-source platforms have played a pivotal role in other fields of robotics, from 3D printing to drone design. But creating a successful open-source toolkit for wearable assistive devices is uniquely complex. Exoskeletons must be carefully tailored to individual users, factoring in biomechanical differences, safety, comfort, and rehabilitation goals. The OpenExo team aims to provide a robust foundation that others can adapt to their specific needs and clinical contexts.

The Biomechatronic Lab at NAU is no stranger to applied impact. Its work has already supported children with cerebral palsy and helped stroke survivors and others with gait disorders improve their rehabilitation outcomes.

Lerner said he hopes to see research into this area take off through the use of OpenExo. 

“Exoskeletons transform ability,” he says. “There is nothing more fulfilling than working on technology that can make an immediate positive impact on someone’s life.” 

Originally published by Cosmos as Free exoskeleton blueprint could accelerate rehab robotics research