[Kickstarter] Finally launched after a year of hard work

Note: For those who may have seen this before, read the comment at the end of this post.

Hello Imgur,

After a year of hard work, I have finally launched my kickstarter: an exercise exoskeleton! *drumroll* The ExoHinge!

The kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aklef/exohinge

This is a project I worked on all by myself. We'll call it a passion project and definitely an interesting learning experience. With the Covid19 shutdown, and being laid off due to it, I found I had a lot of time to work on this project. It was funny how things worked out in that sense. The gym closures really didn't help my strength levels. Even now that some are reopening, I don't think I'll be going back for a while.

A year ago I got an idea for an exercise product. I found many types of exercises were difficult to perform at home or while on the go. What set this whole thing in motion was when I was trying to exercise my hamstrings. I tried doing heel-to-butt raises with an ankle weight and hurt my ankles, and tried doing glute-ham raises and hurting my knees. Awesome.

As a mechanical engineer and avid athlete, I figured I could find a solution to this problem.

Maybe if I made something you could fixate around a joint? Most exercise is performed by moving a weight against gravity. Was there a way to create a resistance without using weights or cables or pulleys? I started thinking about spring mechanisms and realized it was worth exploring.

So I set out with this new idea and started sketching and brainstorming. What I came up with was pretty crude at first but like a sculptor making his first picks with his chisel, I felt there was something there.

I began looking in to ergonomics, rehabilitation devices, existing exercise products, and spring mechanisms, exoskeletons, and other things. I made a wish list of all the things anyone would want in an exercise product: small, convenient, modular, light, sturdy, cool looking, etc.

Once I had the wishlist, I began making calculations and trying to optimize the design. I was going to make something that could replicate the resistance you can find in a gym and yet was still small....and somehow not break under its own force. Yep, it's going to have to be all steel.

The most difficult part of engineering is not figuring out how to make something strong. Calculations and design are pretty easy. The hard part is designing it so it meets the criteria you set well enough while still being economically feasible.

Once I felt I had it in the right ball park, I began 3D modeling, running simulations, and when everything checked out...3D printing. I then tested the 3D printed prototype, made adjustments to the design, and then made the ExoHinge.

The ExoHinge uses interchangeable resistance pucks. They contain a spring mechanism that provide resistance, through torque, in one direction. A unidirectional resistance is not normally possible in a way that works well with exercising.

While I was playing around with it, I found that if I set the ExoHinge and puck up so that it resisted the force of gravity, i could actually use it as an assistive exoskeleton-like device, which is what we usually think of when we think "exoskeleton": a power suit. Rejoice, you only need one trip for those grocery bags.

I tried exploring different scenarios. What if someone hurt their leg but still wanted to exercise? What if they were confined to a wheel chair? What if they just felt unmotivated - could they do exercise while on the couch? The answer was yes. Now you don't have any excuses! Sorry.....

What if someone wanted to exercise at work, could they bring it? Would it be convenient? Where would it fit? Could it fit in a lunch box? Let's find out.

I tested the ExoHinge in multiple ways and I was happy to find it always added value to what I was doing.

The journey was long and it's now almost come to an end.
If you like this and would like to know more, or want to support me in making this a reality, please check out my kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aklef/exohinge

If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them. I am very curious to know what people think!

Thanks for reading!

NOTE: Being New to posting on Imgur, I didn't know that hiding the post to make edits and changes would remove the comments and votes. I contacted Imgur support, and they said it's fine for me to post this despite it promoting my Kickstarter. I have also contacted their Ad department and I am waiting to hear back so I can begin having Ads on Imgur. If you are interested in proof that I got the ok, PM me and I will send you screenshots of the convo. Thanks.