repawse is an assistive and attachable exoskeleton for dogs
Meet Repawse, an attachable powered exoskeleton for dogs that allows them to walk well again after an injury or illness. A design project led by Zhou Leijing and her team in Hangzhou, the device is worn on the pet’s hind legs to support their movement. It doesn’t operate on its own because it ‘listens’ instead to the dog’s body by using surface electromyographic sensors, known as sEMG sensors. These sensors are placed on a healthy front leg, so when the dog walks, muscles in that leg send signals. They then read these signals and send the data to a control system.
The system processes the signals in real time and predicts how the damaged hind leg should move next. Linear actuators then move the hind leg to match the dog’s walking pattern to help the front and back legs move together. The goal is not speed or strength, but coordination. In short, the dog leads the movement, and the attachable powered exoskeleton follows. The design avoids screens, buttons, or commands for the animal, as the interaction is based only on walking. If the dog stops, the system stops. If the dog moves, the system responds. This reduces confusion and stress for the animal and keeps the experience close to normal walking.
all images courtesy of Leijing Zhou, via A’ Design Award and Competition
movement signals make the device work
The purpose of Repawse is clear. Many dogs lose movement in their hind legs after accidents, surgery, or disease. Existing solutions often use passive prosthetics or carts, and these tools support the body but don’t help the dog walk in a natural way. They also don’t respond to how the dog wants to move. The attachable powered exoskeleton for dogs was created to solve this problem by helping the pet walk using its own movement signals.
The project started in 2023, and Zhou Leijing was influenced by news stories about prosthetics for pets and by caring for her own injured dog. She saw that dogs need rehabilitation tools designed for their bodies, not simplified versions of human products. She and her team decided to adapt active exoskeleton systems used in human therapy and redesign them for the four-legged pet. In 2025, Repawse received the Silver A’ Pet Care Design Award, which recognizes how the attachable powered exoskeleton for dogs uses design and technology to support animal care.
Repawse is an attachable powered exoskeleton for dogs that allows them to walk well again after an injury
it ‘listens’ instead to the dog’s body by using surface electromyographic sensors
the device is worn on the pet’s hind legs to support their movement
the system processes the signals in real time and predicts how the damaged hind leg should move next
project info:
name: Repawse
team: Menghan Li, Leijing Zhou, Xinmiao Shen, Xiaofei Gong, Xiaotong Guan, Ding Ding, Jinjie Li, Qianyi Wang, Keyin Chen, Zixiang Wang and Zihan Zhang
competition: A’ Design Award and Competition | @adesigncompetition
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