One of the widely required assistive equipment is an external skeleton (exoskeleton) which can be worn like a garment, but it can actively move a part of the body.
The wearable exoskeleton is made of smart textile yarns that can individually move or apply force when they are stimulated by electrical potential. The actuation phenomenon is a well-known property of many materials including a group of polymers called electroactive polymers.
My research is focused on the investigation of electroactive polymer preparation in combination with novel textile designs to develop wearable actuators that are flexible, lightweight, and silent in contrast with commercially available ones.
