Human in Motion Robotics is a medical robotics company building the XoMotion self-balancing exoskeleton designed for individuals with lower extremity motor deficits. The robotic exoskeleton is currently being used for ambulatory training and therapeutic recovery.
I joined the team during a pivotal moment: HMR had just received its first regulatory approval in Canada and was starting its first production run. I was part of the entire production process:
Working from large, complex CAD assemblies, I authored consistent step-by-step assembly procedures and exploded-view diagrams for the exoskeleton's many sub-assemblies, breaking them down into clear, sequential work instructions.
This documentation covered everything from structural fasteners to internal sensor and motor driver placement, and was used directly by the build team to ensure accurate, repeatable assembly across multiple production units.
Soon, the custom machined robot components began arriving. I spent the next month conducting first-article inspection on these parts, reading drawings featuring ASME Y14.5 GD&T and using precision measurement devices such as callipers, bore gauges, go/no-go gauges and micrometers, along with datum simulators. I inspected incoming components against the drawings and identified supplier deviations that would have caused problems downstream.
This process made clear to me that GD&T and tolerance stack-up are the only critical communication from the designer to production, not just drawing conventions.
Using the procedures I developed, I hand-assembled first-production exoskeleton units, integrating motors, motor drivers, and sensors at the joint level. This included installing and wiring components such as force sensors, motor drivers, BLDC motors and PCBs, often refining the documentation in real time. I even personally cast the polyurethane soles.
Working hands-on with these sub-systems gave me an intuitive understanding of electromechanical integration, including how motor placement, wiring routing, and component access all shape a design's manufacturability. These are lessons I now bring directly into how I design parts and prototypes.
With the robots (mostly) assembled, testing could begin. I was lucky to directly assist and witness the meticulous motor tuning process. This included testing the installed motors and motor drivers, identifying them with chirp signals and then tuning them in closed loop.
Here, I listened as the motor burned in, and the grease spread around the harmonic drive. By the end, I was able to tell if something was wrong purely by the sound.
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