What is ACE?

In 2018, M-STARX and Michigan State's STARX teams decided to start a friendly competition between the two schools to showcase their lower body exoskeleton designs. Exoskeleton technology was a relatively niche field of robotics, so at the time there was no other university level event for exoskeleton designs. The word got out to other teams, and the competiton grew to include the University of Nebraska Omaha,   Iowa State University, and the Colorado school of the mines. Together with these schools, M-STARX held the first ACE competition at the university of Michigan! 

The ACE competiton was designed not only to explore the field of exoskeleton technology, but to also explore the applications of exoskeleton in the field of first response. Throughout the years, ACE teams have worked to create specialized exoskeletons meant to assist firefighters and other emergency response personal. Many tests in ACE have been designed around simulating challeges faced by first responsers, such as navigating uneven terrian, kicking down doors, etc. Recently ACE has taken up the challenge of designing Exoskeletons capable of fitting a range of different heights and builds. We looks forward to seeing what advances in technology will be brought to ACE 2027.