The second annual ASTM international Exo Games were held from 5 to 9 August 2024 in West Conshohocken, USA! The Exo Games are a competition where student teams from universities around the globe design, build and test an exoskeleton in tasks representing various industrial applications. The goal is to validate the test methods and design guidelines described in the ASTM exoskeleton standards (F48), as well as bringing students together to share ideas and accelerate the development of exoskeletons.
This year's edition was centered around first responders and the tasks were defined accordingly: a bomb squad walk, deploying a fire hose, performing CPR, crawling through tight spaces and several others. The official website detailing the rules and so on can be found here. The competition was hosted by ASTM in West Conshohocken, Pensylvania, USA from 5 to 9 August.
Team BruBotics (a.k.a. VEXO) has designed a passive exoskeleton featuring lower back, shoulder and arm support: the S²AME exoskeleton. Based on last year's design, it features improvements over the previous version as well as a few new additions, such as a foldable lumbar extension and adjustable arm and back support using ratchet mechanisms. The adjustable shoulder straps allow for a straightforward and quick donning and doffing procedure. Our efforts have proven worthwhile, as we took home no less than 4 prizes: best poster, best presentation, best team description paper and 3rd place in the main test method competition. In parallel to the actual competition, insightful presentations from first response industry experts were also given.
