Pet Exoskeleton Gives Injured Dogs a Second Chance at Walking

Photo credit: Leijing Zhou
Dogs rely entirely on their legs to get through the happiest parts of their lives, dashing after balls around the yard, running to greet their owners as soon as they arrive home, and just exploring the world on their regular walks. All of the flexibility evaporates when a hind leg is injured, which can happen unexpectedly.

Owners are left to watch in anguish as their unfortunate pets struggle along on what are usually their strongest, most capable legs, or worse, simply stop moving entirely. Their vets do their best to devise a remedy: a brace, some wheels… but they frequently fall short, feeling more like a band-aid than a genuine solution.

Designer Leijing Zhou invented a new approach. Zhou spent two years in Hangzhou developing this wearable technology, which she names the Pet Power Assistive Exoskeleton (though some early publications referred to it as Repawse). The concept was based on human rehabilitation technology, however it was tailored specifically for dogs. The reason she was inspired to create it in the first place was quite personal, as she had to deal with the trauma of watching an injured pet suffer. She identified a market gap: people who have had strokes or other mishaps receive advanced, and extremely expensive, powered suits to help them get back on their feet, yet our poor pets just receive basic aids.

After all, the custom-fit design serves as the system’s foundation. A team of technicians goes around the dog, scans the entire body, and then prints bespoke parts in a 3D printer that are suited to each animal’s exact specifications. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution; each exoskeleton is unique. The materials used are also extremely lightweight, and there are soft memory foam pads to assist minimize irritation, whether your dog is trying it on for the first time or wearing it for hours at a time for therapy or daily use.

Sensing movement is accomplished by the use of smart small sensors and patches attached to a harness, similar to a jacket. These track tiny electrical signals from the dog’s muscles as it attempts to move. If the front legs are functioning properly and sending out completely clear signals, a little controller reads them in real time.

The system then anticipates what the wounded rear limb should do next, which is where the cleverness lies. A basic motor, a small motorized rod attached to the back leg, determines how much, if any, assistance the dog need at any particular time. The front legs lead and guide, while the back legs follow in sync. What really matters is that the dog determines when to take a step; the technology simply facilitates the action.

Its assistance is gentle, so the dog does not feel pressured into anything. Over time, however, they begin to regain their strength and confidence. Weak muscles and joints should quit straining so much. Their original walking patterns begin to resurface, gradually becoming normal again. And because the dog isn’t terrified of falling or being in pain, they recover faster.

The exoskeleton is still a prototype, with a completion date of early 2026. There is no indication yet on the pricing or when it will be readily accessible for purchase, but the aim is for it to be used in clinics as well as by homeowners. It provides a way for dogs to return to their natural gait, whether they are old and lacking rear strength or recovering from surgery.
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