Wearable technologies for assisted mobility in the real world
Shuo Gao, Jianan Chen, Yunjia Xia, Xuemeng Li, Weihao Ma, Huixin Yang, Jinchen Li, Xinkai Zhou, Tianyu Jia, Yuchen Xu, Julie Uchitel, Dean Ta, Peng Qi, Junbo Ge, Yi Guo, Yajie Qin, Inseung Kang, Wenyao Xu, He Li, Jinke Chang, Siming Zuo, Shiwei Wang, Shan Luo, Letizia Gionfrida, Chen Hu, Shuqin Dong, Yong‐Xin Guo, Yixuan Yuan, Haixia Zhang, Haotian Chen, Yu Pan, Chenyun Dai, Qinyuan Ren, Rui Loureiro, Tom Carlson, Wei Chen, Yuan‐Ting Zhang, Panicos Kyriacou, Hadi Heidari, Kianoush Nazarpour, Themis Prodromakis, Alexander J. Casson, Tamar R. Makin, Gert Cauwenberghs, Dario Farina, Hubin Zhao
Abstract
Mobility impairments from aging, injury, or medical conditions limit independence and social participation. Conventional assistive devices lack adaptability in complex environments. Recent wearable technologies integrating neural sensing, electronics, and co-design offer personalized, responsive mobility support. This perspective focuses on advances in wearable sensing and multimodal fusion for intent recognition, environmental interaction, and adaptive control in exoskeletons, prosthetics, smart wheelchairs, and navigation systems. Emphasizing human-in-the-loop and cognitive-sensorimotor integration, it outlines emerging trends and challenges, promoting intelligent, user-centered solutions to restore function and enhance autonomy, accessibility, and inclusion for individuals with mobility impairments.