Enhancing sit-to-stand transitions and walking efficiency in older adults with a soft robotic suit

Age-related declines in muscle strength and neuromuscular control make sit-to-stand transitions and walking progressively more difficult, compromising mobility and independence. Although wearable assistive technologies have been proposed to alleviate these challenges, few have demonstrated clear benefits in facilitating sit-to-stand movements for community-dwelling older adults who retain a degree of independent mobility. Here, we introduce a soft tendon-driven hip exosuit designed to assist both sit-to-stand transitions and walking activities. In a feasibility study with ten older adults (mean age 78 years), the exosuit improved sit-to-stand performance during the 1-minute sit-to-stand test by up to 4 repetitions compared with the unassisted condition, with an average increase of 1.8 repetitions and a 9.2% reduction in cycle duration across participants. Additionally, the exosuit lowered the metabolic cost of walking by 13.6% on average. These improvements were achieved while preserving lower-limb stability, natural kinematics, and maintaining a strong sense of agency (a self-reported mean score of 6.07 out of 7 on a Likert scale). These findings demonstrate that a soft exosuit can enhance sitting and walking performance in older adults without compromising biomechanical naturalness or user autonomy, highlighting textile-based soft robotic systems as a promising pathway toward practical, home-integrated mobility assistance for ageing populations.