'Wearable robots' are allowing paralysed patients once unable to move to walk again
New technology is allowing people who are paralysed to walk again.
Michael Gore, 42, suffered a serious work accident 11 years ago and damaged his spine which left him unable to walk. Yet today he is able to get out of his chair, stand six foot two inches tall and walk across the room.
This is all thanks to a lightweight robot he wears, referred to as 'electronic legs' or a 'powered exoskelton'.
Michael's model is called Indego, and is among several competing products being used and tested in U.S. rehabilitation hospitals that hold promise not only for people with spinal injuries, but also those recovering from strokes or suffering with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
The technology is thought to be at least a year away from the market, and at two stone, the Indego is the lightest of the powered exoskeletons.
It snaps together from pieces that fit into a backpack.
The goal is for the user to be able to carry it on a wheelchair, put it together, strap it on and walk independently.
None of the products, including the Indego, are yet approved for personal use, meaning they must be used under the supervision of a physical therapist.
Michael, from North Carolina, demonstrated the device this week at the American Spinal Injury Association meeting in Chicago, and successfully negotiated a noisy, crowded hallway of medical professionals and people with spinal injuries in wheelchairs.
When he leaned forward, the device took a first step. When he tilted from side to side, it walked.
When Michael wanted to stop, he leaned back and the robotic leg braces came to a halt. Gore used forearm crutches for balance.
A battery in the hip piece powers the motors in the robotic legs.
'Being able to speak eye-to-eye [with a person] is just a big emotional boost,' Gore said.
'Being able to walk up to you and say hello is not a big thing until you cannot do it.'
The devices will not replace wheelchairs, which are faster.
'None of the devices are speedy enough for a paralysed person to walk across a street before the light changes,' said Arun Jayaraman of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, who is testing a number of similar devices.
'None of them have fall prevention technology either. If the person falls, they can hurt themselves badly.
'If you fall down, how do you get off a robot that is strapped into you?'
The technology needs to become even lighter and have longer-lasting batteries, he said.
It is hoped the devices might help prevent pressure sores from sitting too long in a wheelchair, improve heart health, develop muscle strength, lift depression and ultimately bring down medical costs by keeping healthier patients out of the hospital.
Companies in Israel, New Zealand and California make competing devices, and all the products are becoming less bulky as they are refined.
The Indego was invented at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and tested at the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta.
It's unclear exactly how much the devices will cost if they become available for personal use.
Some technology news media reports have said $50,000 to $75,000.
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