Walk a mile in a robot’s shoes and it won’t feel so far. A new robotic “exosuit” cuts the energy a wearer uses to walk by 23 per cent – the highest reduction in energy expenditure for a suit powered by an attached cable. The flexible, textile exoskeleton consists of two stretchy fabric wraps that go around the calves, a waist belt and four vertical straps running from calf to hip. A cable attached to a motor delivers force to the ankle so the wearer uses less of their own energy to lift and move the foot. This assistive power is also transmitted through the straps to the hip joint. This chain reaction means a separate motor is not needed at each joint. At the moment, the exosuit is tethered to an external motor and has only been tested by wearers on a treadmill. Next, the researchers want to make a suit whose power supply is also worn on the body.