It sounds easy enough for the average healthy person, but could it be made easier for people who have to do a lot of it – like nurses, soldiers, police officers or postal workers?

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) think they can make walking more efficient, enabling a nurse, for instance, to feel less tired and move better throughout a long, hectic day.

Steve Collins, a mechanical engineer, roboticist and professor at CMU, said the technology they’re working on could reduce the energy people use to walk by 7%.

Although that doesn’t sound like much, Collins noted that it would be like taking off a 10-pound backpack when you’re walking around.

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