UMass team tests exoskeleton to help professional athletes train better [Video]

AMHERST — Making elite distance runners and world record-holders even faster is a tall order. Engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are up for the challenge.

A robotic exoskeleton aimed at improving running performance is being developed by UMass Amherst’s engineering department, in collaboration with sportswear brand PUMA.

Meghan Huber, an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, is leading the charge, alongside Wouter Hoogkamer, an assistant professor of kinesiology and expert in running performance and footwear. Doctoral candidate Banu Abdikadirova runs much of the day-to-day lab work in simulations and building the device, with help from students in related engineering and biomechanics fields.