Bronx VA doctor helps paraplegics walk with exoskeletons

Ann Spungen, the principal investigator of the VA’s exoskeletal-assisted walking study, is excited about the ReWalk, a device invented by an Israeli scientist that allows paraplegics to walk again. ‘In the 22 years that I have been working in this field, it’s the most exciting intervention to come along.’

A research doctor at the Bronx VA is turning paralyzed vets into Iron Man.

And she’s doing it one man — and woman — at a time, with a robotic exoskeleton called the “ReWalk.” Continue Reading »

Powered exoskeleton provides more independence to people with severe spinal cord injuries

The dream of regaining the ability to stand up and walk has come closer to reality for people paralyzed below the waist who thought they would never take another step.

A team of engineers at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Intelligent Mechatronics has developed a powered exoskeleton that enables people with severe spinal cord injuries to stand, walk, sit and climb stairs. Its light weight, compact size and modular design promise to provide users with an unprecedented degree of independence. Continue Reading »

Preliminary research findings released for Ekso robotic exoskeleton in spinal cord injury

Kessler Foundation has released preliminary research findings from its clinical study of the wearable robotic exoskeletal device, Ekso (Ekso Bionics). Gail Forrest, PhD, assistant director of Human Performance and Engineering Research, presented the Ekso research data on September 3, at the meeting of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals at the Rio Suites in Las Vegas. Dr. Forrest directs mobility research at the Foundation, including activity-based locomotor therapy, functional electrical stimulation, and treadmill training with the LokomatPro v6, as well as Ekso. Her research focuses on new ways to improve function and restore mobility for people with disabilities and reduce their long-term risks for complications. Continue Reading »

Most accurate robotic legs mimic human walking gait

A group of US researchers has produced a robotic set of legs which they believe is the first to fully model walking in a biologically accurate manner.

A group of US researchers has produced a robotic set of legs which they believe is the first to fully model walking in a biologically accurate manner.

The neural architecture, musculoskeletal architecture and sensory feedback pathways in humans have been simplified and built into the robot, giving it a remarkably human-like walking gait that can be viewed in this video: Continue Reading »

Exoskeletons Will Be the Eyeglasses of the 21st Century

We don’t often realize it, but all fashion is predicated upon human beings’ predilection for prostheses and augmentations. All clothing, bags, and shoes are augmentation to our body, skin, and feet allowing us to deal with non-tropical climates, to carry large amounts of stuff, and to deal with harsh or unforgiving terrain. If humans hadn’t already modified ourselves, the only fashion we’d have is hairstyle.

Eyeglasses and contact lenses are one of the most prolific forms of medical augmentation on the planet. In many industrialized modern cultures, eyeglasses and contacts are also a major element of fashion. Thin, small glasses are out of fashion; big, chunky frames with large lenses are in. Tomorrow it might be different. But in every case, you have glasses because you have a medical problem that needs fixing. Continue Reading »

New bionic legs help paraplegics walk again

The robotic exoskeleton eLegs could be a game changer for spinal cord injury rehabilitation

Stephanie Sablan was driving home from her grandmother’s house late at night last January, down the scenic Route 101 in Northern California. Sablan picked up her phone and typed a text message to her boyfriend to say she’d be there in half an hour. Before she hit send, she looked up and was surprised by a curve in the road. She swung the steering wheel to avoid the central reservation, but went too far, and the car flipped over – once, twice, three times, four times.

As the car tumbled, Sablan was thrown out of the passenger-side window – “I wasn’t wearing my seat belt,” she says – and landed in the grass beside the highway. “I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move my legs.” Continue Reading »

Magic suit helping paraplegic Air Force pilot to walk again (sadly it costs $90,000)

An Air Force pilot who has been paralysed from the chest down since 2002 has been able to walk with the help of a special suit.

Lt. Ian James Brown, from New Jersey, is the first military man to test the specially-fitted exoskeleton suit called the ReWalk.

He said: ‘The first time I saw myself walk on video, I said, “Wow”.’

Mr Brown became a paraplegic after a motorcycle accident in 2002 as he was driving back to Hanscom Air Force base in Bedford, Massachusetts. Continue Reading »

Berkeley Bionics Partners With Ten U.S. Rehabilitation Centers

Investigational Studies and Introduction of New Wearable Robot for Wheelchair Users

BERKELEY, CA, June 7, 2011 — Berkeley Bionics – developer and maker of exoskeletons that augment human strength, endurance and mobility – today announced its partnership with ten of the nation’s top physical rehabilitation centers. The program will focus on eLEGS, a wearable robot that powers wheelchair users up to get them standing and walking. It will entail reciprocal information sharing and learning, and the definition of clinical protocols, as the company prepares to introduce eLEGS to the market in early 2012. The charter hospitals will also become the first eLEGS Centers in the world, conducting ongoing research, and offering the device for the rehabilitation of their patients. Continue Reading »