Humotech Caplex

Quote onlyHumotech sells custom-configured systems to academic, government and commercial labs through a request-a-quote form and publishes no price; no reported figure was found.

AvailableSDK or research modeExoskeleton emulatorUp to 180 Nm ankleInterchangeable devicesMATLAB/Simulink

Weeks+Built to order for research labs after a quote and configuration with Humotech's team, with installation and support. Request a quote ↗

Control: Fully computer-controlled, since every Caplex system is run from a host PC and real-time Simulink target.

Humotech products ↗Portable Caplex launch ↗Exoskeleton Report EXO-001 ↗Exoskeleton Report EXO-004 ↗MathWorks user story ↗

Overview

Caplex is Humotech's exoskeleton and prosthesis emulator, a lab system that grew out of Steve Collins' tethered emulator research at Carnegie Mellon and Stanford and was turned into a product by the Pittsburgh startup from about 2016. Powerful off-board motors and a real-time controller drive cables to interchangeable wearable end-effectors, including the EXO-001 ankle (adult and child sizes, up to 180 Nm), the EXO-004 hip (50 Nm) and the lighter EXO-005 ankle, so a researcher can try many device behaviors on one wearer without building new hardware. The Portable Caplex backpack (BCK-001, August 2021, about 9 to 13 kg) takes the system outside the lab, and Humotech also works on clinical use such as orthotic prescription studies. It is tethered and heavy, so it is a research tool rather than a wearable product, and it is sold only by quote to labs. The untethered Stanford exoskeleton boot was designed from years of Caplex-style emulator data.

Specifications

Category	Exoskeletons & exosuits · Full-body, military & research
Released	2016
Country	USA
Availability	Available
Programmability	Full SDK
Built-in autonomy	Reactive · Responds to its surroundings without a map, such as avoiding obstacles or following a person
LLM support	None · No voice assistant or LLM.
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	Brushless / direct-drive motors
Audio	No audio
Compute type	x86 PC (Intel / AMD)
Control	SDK or research mode
Weight	1.4 kg (EXO-001 ankle, with shoe), 3.7 kg (EXO-004 hip), 9 to 13 kg Portable Caplex backpack
Assistance	Off-board motors drive Bowden cables to lightweight end-effectors, giving up to 180 Nm of ankle plantarflexion on the EXO-001 and 50 Nm of two-way hip flexion and extension on the EXO-004, so researchers can emulate almost any exoskeleton or prosthesis behavior on one person.
Joints	Ankles or hips (interchangeable)
Battery & runtime	Wall-powered off-board actuator units for the lab systems; the Portable Caplex runs on AC wall power or a DC battery.
Operation	Researchers write controllers in MATLAB and Simulink using Humotech's block library and run them on a Speedgoat real-time target, with a Humotech GUI on a Windows host PC.
Sensors	Inline load cell on each cable (within 1%), 5,000-count optical encoders for joint angle, plus lab I/O for EMG, foot switches and motion capture.
Compute	Speedgoat real-time target running Simulink Real-Time, Windows host PC
SDK	Caplex software and Simulink library for custom control laws, EtherCAT actuator interface