Flux GmbH sponsors TUM Dash exoskeleton team

Flux GmbH (Braunau am Inn, Austria), a high-precision encoder company, is sponsoring the Technology University of Munich’s (TUM, Germany) Dash student initiative developing and building lower limb exoskeletons for fully paraplegic patients. The Dash team, made up of bachelor, master and Ph.D. students, plans to compete with its exoskeleton at Cybathlon 2024 from Oct. 25-27, an event organized by ETH Zürich celebrating the latest advancements in assistance technologies. 

Flux tells CW that it has been collaborating with the Chair of Carbon Composites at TUM and has performed prototyping for so-called “patient-tailored design” with a carbon fiber frame structure. The company says for the current generation of exoskeletons’ structures it is moving away from this due to structural analysis challenges; however, casings and other non-primary load-bearing components are planned to be made from carbon fiber-reinforced materials. Moreover, further development after the Cybathlon will return to the original fiber-reinforced alternative.

Flux has provided the Dash team with a range of lightweight and compact inductive rotary encoders which will be used to provide precision position and speed feedback in the joints of the exoskeleton.

“We are proud to support the next-generation of engineers at the Technology University of Munich working on such a meaningful project,” says Paul Tutzu, managing director and founder of Flux GmbH. “We wish the team all the best for their developments and look forward to seeing the end result at Cybathlon 2024.”

Flux designs and makes high-performance encoders for precise measurement of position and velocity within closed-loop motion control systems. Its encodes are said to differ from conventional measuring principles through the delivery of high performance in harsh environments, improved precision, and a lightweight and compact form factor.