Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1093246
52 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 Feature Interview by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 When I was in college, I didn't think much about helping make the world a better place; I just focused on making it to graduation. But some students from Delft University of Tech- nology have found a way to do both. Proj- ect MARCH is made up of student volunteers who design and build futuristic exoskeletons that can help paraplegics walk. The students do most of the work themselves, including de- signing the various PCBs. I saw their latest exoskeleton up close when Project MARCH exhibited at AltiumLive in Mu- nich, and I had to find out more about this program. Delft Students Martijn van der Marel and Roy Arriens sat down with me to discuss their work on the exoskeleton, including their PCB design experience, and whether they plan to pursue PCB design as a career. Andy Shaughnessy: Can you tell us a little bit about Project MARCH and this exoskeleton? Martijn van der Marel: We are a student team from Delft University of Technology, one of the biggest technological universities in the Netherlands. We volunteered for a year to build this exoskel- eton. With the exoskeleton, we help paraplegics walk again. Each year, we participate in a com- petition against other exoskeletons to improve the technology and see how far we've come. Shaughnessy: The exoskeleton is pretty impres- sive. Are you all engineering students? van der Marel: All students have a technical background, but within the team, some of the students are in management and PR, but most of the students are in engineering roles. Shaughnessy: How did this idea come about? Project MARCH Students' Exoskeleton Helps Paraplegics Walk Again