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 »
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 »
CHICAGO — Martin Mireles says his mother was not happy with his tongue piercing: It didn’t fit his image as a former church youth leader.
But as Mr. Mireles told her, it was for research. Paralyzed from a spinal cord injury since he was shot in the neck almost two decades ago, he was recently fitted with a magnetic stud that allows him to steer his wheelchair with his tongue. Continue Reading »
Like probably every other person with a severe spinal cord injury, Sloan Deumite wants to walk again. Ten LSU engineering students have spent much of their senior year trying to make that happen.
On Thursday, the students will present the first stage of a project called “Walk Again.”
The goal is to eventually produce a mechanical exoskeleton that could allow quadriplegics to walk on their own. Continue Reading »
Less than a year after unveiling a pair robotic legs that let paraplegics stand and walk, New Zealand’s Rex Bionics has made its first commercial sale to a champion Paralympian who took his first steps in more than 30 years with the aid of the device.
New Zealander Dave MacCalman, who sustained a spinal cord injury diving into a shallow river, paid $150,000 for the customized exoskeleton that will have him walking up stairs, looking directly into other people’s eyes, and reaching tall shelves once he has a bit more practice maneuvering it. Continue Reading »
It looks like a cross between an abdominal exerciser and a stationary bike, but it’s a revolutionary approach to treating patients with spinal cord injuries.
Designed and constructed by two graduate students in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Engineering, this device, called “Neuro Mechano Stimulator Pedals,” stimulates mechano-receptors on the lateral ridge of the sole of the foot. The hypothesis behind this device development is that simultaneous stimulation of sensory inputs and spinal reflexes may lead to neuroplasticity, causing generation of new neural pathways in the spine. Continue Reading »
A newly developed robotic exoskeleton provides spinal cord injury patients with assistance and resistance to help rebuild muscle function.
A year ago, professional motocross racer Randy Childers experienced a crash in Texas that crushed his ribs, wrist and several vertebrae. By October he could walk slowly but struggled to turn over a card.
Enter a new robotic exoskeleton, a new motorized device designed to speed recovery. Continue Reading »
Mobility Van Dealers Launch “I Hate Minivans” Ad Campaign — Showcase Accessible Alternatives at Los Angeles Abilities Expo
It’s the last thing you would think to see when opening a recent issue of Disabled Dealer, now being distributed throughout the West Coast prior to this week’s Abilities Expo being held in Los Angeles. Two of the largest accessible minivan dealers who operate in the Southern California market created an ad campaign and website titled I-Hate-Minivans.com. They will also be sharing an expansive 20 x 50 foot exhibit booth that will showcase some very unusual vehicles. Continue Reading »
PENSACOLA, Fla., April 5, 2011 — Today, Dr. Kenneth Ford, Director and CEO of the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), joined institute researchers to unveil Mina, a robotic exoskeleton developed to restore ambulation for individuals afflicted with paraplegia, hemiplegia, paresis, asthenia, and functional muscle loss. Developed by the IHMC robotics team led by Dr. Peter Neuhaus and Dr. Jerry Pratt, Mina acts as a pair of robotic legs that assist people, who have lost their ability to walk, in regaining upright mobility when outfitted with the device. Future applications of Mina are envisioned to span from rehabilitating those with stroke and spinal cord injuries, to augmenting human strength capabilities when operating in complex mobility environments. Continue Reading »
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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.
CHICAGO — Martin Mireles says his mother was not happy with his tongue piercing: It didn’t fit his image as a former church youth leader. 
Like probably every other person with a severe spinal cord injury, Sloan Deumite wants to walk again. Ten LSU engineering students have spent much of their senior year trying to make that happen.
Less than a year after unveiling a pair robotic legs that let paraplegics stand and walk, New Zealand’s Rex Bionics has made its first commercial sale to a champion Paralympian who took his first steps in more than 30 years with the aid of the device.
A newly developed robotic exoskeleton provides spinal cord injury patients with assistance and resistance to help rebuild muscle function.
Mobility Van Dealers Launch “I Hate Minivans” Ad Campaign — Showcase Accessible Alternatives at Los Angeles Abilities Expo
IHMC Unveils the MINA Robotic Device