Engineers from the United States made a motor-free device, which is actually a boot-like device designed to make walking more efficient and easier. According to reports, the prototype exoskeleton boot runs from just below the knee of the ankle. The device can reduce the energy it takes of a person while walking by about 7%, which means that the individual will not burn many calories after wearing the device.

The wearable device is without a motor of any power source. The device weighs about one-pound and it relies on a spring to store energy and release it with every step. The device also has a clutch that engages the spring at the proper moment. The reports also stated that the new device could be too bulky for an individual to fit under legs or socks.

Steven Collins, engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and lead author of the new study of the device, said that the device does not look too bad and look kind of flashy. The study has been published in the journal Nature. Collins further said that the new device can be helpful for many individuals. In an obese country, making exercise to burn only a few calories does not seem to be a great idea, but it’s still not crazy, the professor added.

Collins further said that many studies have shown that when walking becomes harder, people do it less. If walking will become easier, people will do it more, according to Collins. “This sort of hydraulic cast could also boost the development of other exoskeleton devices — perhaps for the hips — to help disabled people walk better. The key innovation was coming up with the clutch”, Collins added.

While talking about the new device, Andy Ruina, biomechanical engineering professor at Cornell University, said that the new device could be interesting. Many studies have shown that human walking is incredibly efficient and a device that can make it better could be interesting, the professor added. Ruina wasn't part of the study.