It all started when our advisor, Dr. Divya Srinivasan, said, “ASTM is conducting the Exo Games competition. Do you want to build an exoskeleton and participate in the games?” In unison, our voices rang out, “Why not? Let’s exo-do it!” And just like that, from that seemingly ordinary day, we embarked on an extraordinary journey. We landed in London on August 13. You’d expect a traditional English breakfast, right? Wrong. London threw a curveball in its quirky charm: a delightful South Indian twist at Dosa Kada. Jetlag? Pfft, who needs caffeine when you have crispy dosas and hot idlies giving you the kickstart! After our culinary adventure at breakfast, it was time for ‘Lancashire: The Left-sided Saga.’ As if battling post-dosa drowsiness wasn’t enough, we had to fend off every instinct screaming, ‘To the right!’ But, like true driving gladiators, we soldiered on, reminding ourselves with every turn: ‘When in Britain, veer leftward! We managed to arrive at our temporary home in Lancashire in one piece.
Day 1 at the Exo Games: The anticipation was palpable, like waiting to see if your toast lands butter-side up. Decked out in our fresh visitor badges, we breezed through registration, ready to tackle the day’s exciting lineup. Poster presentation was up first, and being Team 1, we had the honor (or was it the pressure?) of setting the tone. Our corporate chic poster was our opening act, with enough razzle-dazzle to make a PowerPoint junkie blush. After all five teams had their moment in the spotlight, a British-flavored lunch beckoned.
Next up, the adrenaline-pumping “Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test.” Sounds easy? Think again. Sit, hustle, return, and park yourself back – all while suited up in an exoskeleton. Rahul, our lab’s athlete, stepped up to the plate with our exo, Sahayak, clocking in at a sizzling 10.4 seconds! But wait, there’s more! Up next: cup stacking. Sounds like child’s play, doesn’t it? Oh, how wrong we were. The anxiety of stacking cups rivaled defusing a bomb, but Rahul, our star player, made it seem like a breeze, setting a blazing record of 8.43 seconds.
A rollercoaster of tension and unintentional cardio later, Hi-tea was our beacon of sanity. And as the caffeine settled in, we braced ourselves for the legendary session with Hugh Herr. Because why not end the day on a high note? Or should I say, a Herr note?
Day 2 at the Exo Games: Ah, dawn at the Exo Games. What could be better? Maybe sleeping in, but that’s besides the point. We kick-started with the “Warehouse Repalletizing” challenge. It’s basically a fancy term for Rahul moving 8 boxes with the help of our trusty “Sahayak” exoskeleton. Think of it as our own version of weightlifting – without the protein shakes. With his back and biceps sufficiently flexed, next up was the ‘Bomb Squad Walk.’ Here, Rahul had to strike a pose of defusing a bomb during a 150m walk. Easy peasy, right? Well, not so fast. Slap on a 20lb weighted vest and hand him 15lb weights in each hand, and suddenly Rahul never felt so overweight. Yet, in true Rahul style, he pulled it off without so much as a puff or a creak from our exoskeleton. Whew!
By then, our stomachs were sending us emergency hunger signals. Post-lunch, it was presentation time. We were the opening act, again. While this slot was made for Alec’s Broadway debut, Vishwajeet leapt in like our understudy-turned-star. We owned that stage, answering everything thrown at us like we’d read the script beforehand. Confidence levels? Through the roof.
But the real show-stealer was our chat with Adam Gorlitsky from the ‘I Got Legs’ foundation. Truly a testament to the power of exoskeletons. Who needs sci-fi when you’ve got the real-life tech helping people “ReEnable” their stride and challenge paralysis head-on? And with that goosebump moment, Day 2 dropped the mic.
Day 3 at the Exo Games: Ah, the grand finale! Our journey at the Exo Games was about to wrap up, and it was time for the award ceremony. The mood? A rollercoaster of hopes, wishes, and sighs. The design and poster competitions? Well, let’s just say we gave it our best shot and the results were…not exactly what we expected. It’s like expecting a unicorn for your birthday and getting a pony instead. Still cool, but not a unicorn. But, plot twist! We snagged first place in the presentation competition! Was it our wit? Our flair? We’ll let you decide.
But wait, there’s more icing on this cake—we also scooped up third place overall. Medals, certificates, and an inevitable flood of LinkedIn-worthy snaps followed. The Exo Games? Conquered, celebrated, and sealed with a smile. Until next time!
