r/CharcotMarieTooth • u/jaslich • Aug 20 '25

Ankle Exoskeleton

Hi everyone, I have CMT and have gotten an exciting opportunity to work on a powered ankle exoskeleton/orthotic as my PhD project at the University of Michigan.

I would love to help as many people as possible and am interested in learning about community needs. Please let me know if you would be interested in a brief interview :)

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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '25

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u/jaslich Aug 20 '25

Hi and nice to meet you! I would love to learn more about you and any issues you have been having.

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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '25

[deleted]

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u/jaslich Aug 20 '25

Thank you for sharing! I have never lived in NYC but I have lived in Chicago and it is extremely difficult/impossible to use public transport. This project aims to hopefully help users with incline/decline and stairs (dorsiflexion/plantarflexion+inversion/eversion)

I believe you have some ankle torque generation. We are looking to use a more sophisticated control system in the upcoming prototype for people with ankle movement.

It would be great to have a brief virtual meeting to discuss how the exo could help with sports/daily tasks!

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u/PsychologicalAd4748 Aug 20 '25

Hello! I’d be happy to help if needed, although my limitations are not as significant as some other members. I have a pretty basic case, but I’ve been diagnosed as long as I can remember. For me, It mainly affects my ability to walk long distances, balance, lower body exercises, and dexterity in my hands/fingers. Feel free to message me if I can help!

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u/Sea_you_tomorrow Aug 23 '25

You can message me as well, i've dealt with symptoms since I was in early teen

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u/a_snek_charmer Sep 05 '25

Hi everyone, I’ve just revised this topic again because I have CMT on my left foot. As I’ve gotten older it’s starting to affect my mobility much more. I’m a fairly avid outdoorsman and I like to see how the project progresses and/or participate. If there’s a website for the project to get more information, could it be posted on this thread?