Project MARCH is a Dream Team from TU Delft, driven by the vision to improve the quality of life for people with a spinal cord injury. We aim to do this by pushing the boundaries of exoskeleton technology. An exoskeleton is a powered robotic suit that takes over the function of the lower body, enabling people with a spinal cord injury to stand up and walk again.
Every year, Project MARCH develops a new prototype to stimulate technological innovation and raise awareness of the impact an exoskeleton can have on someone's life.
With a team of 26 students, we take a gap year from our studies to fully dedicate ourselves to designing, building, and testing a brand-new prototype, all within a single academic year. From concept to realization, everything is done in-house.
Of course, we cannot do this alone. We rely on the support of our partners, such as Eurocircuits. Their support enables us to use high-quality bare PCBs, on which we solder the components ourselves afterwards. The assembled PCBs are essential to bringing our system to life.
This year, our main focus is balance. The previous team made an important breakthrough by actively controlling the ankle motors, allowing the exoskeleton to correct small disturbances. We aim to extend this capability to walking.
Most exoskeletons today still require crutches for stability. We believe that freeing the user's hands is a crucial step toward greater independence and full participation in society.
Having free hands allows users to do everyday things again: walking hand in hand, pushing a stroller, or simply holding a cup of coffee. Small, ordinary actions that make a big difference in achieving an independent lifestyle.
We approach this challenge from the perspective of making everyday outings more accessible. Imagine visiting a museum: viewing art at eye level as intended, holding a program booklet, and not having to focus on maintaining balance. Just enjoying the experience.
Our three technical pillars for this year are:
- Walking fully self-balanced, without the use of crutches
- Being controlled completely hands-free
- Requiring only minimal assistance to put on and take off
Our team is divided into five departments; Management, Operations, Software, Mechanical and Embectrical. For our collaboration with Eurocircuits, we take a closer look at the work of our Electrical and Embedded engineers.
They are responsible for all electronics: PCBs, connections, and wiring that make the exoskeleton function. We design and assemble our own boards, and this year we are working with seven different PCBs:
The MDrive: a double-sided PCB used to control the motors. We have 5 of them in our exoskeleton. This year, we upgraded the chip from a STM32F4 to a STM32F7 chip. Upgrading to a better chip provides us significantly more computing power which we need for balanced walking.
The PDB (Power Distribution Board): distributes power from the batteries throughout the exoskeleton. We increased our power capacity from 24W to 240W to support more advanced onboard computing, which is essential for achieving balanced walking. We needed this upgrade to use a better PC in the exoskeleton. We are not using it to all capability yet, but there is room for the upcoming years to expand even more with an even better computer.
The BRIE: reads values from incremental encoders and converts them to a digital signal, enabling accurate sensor data processing.
The BAPS: collects data from pressure sensors in the footplates. This data is important for keeping the balance and being able to react on time if the balance shifts.
The CATE: a cable tester used to verify whether all cables function correctly before we use them in the exoskeleton.
The Blade Connector: an electrical connector that simplifies connections between parts that are frequently assembled and disassembled.
The Battery Indicator: provides a clear indication of remaining battery power and charging needs.
Through Eurocircuits, we can submit our PCB designs using their online tools. One of the most valuable tools is the PCB Visualizer, which allows us to upload and inspect our designs in detail.
The software automatically checks whether a design is manufacturable and selects the features accordingly. If these features are more costly than expected, the visualizer clearly explains why this feature has been selected and highlights the location. This makes the cost optimization process significantly more efficient and is very valuable for any PCB designer.
This process encourages us to critically evaluate which of the PCB's properties are truly necessary and how to best optimize space and cost.
Another major advantage of working with Eurocircuits is their fast delivery. Since production takes place within Europe, shipping times are short, allowing us to quickly receive components and continue development without delays.
With each iteration, we move closer to a future where exoskeletons offer true independence bringing not just mobility, but freedom back into everyday life.
For more information please visit the TU Delft Project MARCH website.
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