The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation reports spinal cord injury is the second leading cause of paralysis in the U.S. (after stroke). Many are unable to walk and require a wheelchair.
Researchers are now fine-tuning a new type of device designed to get some people with spinal cord injuries back “on their feet.” It’s called the ReWalk™ Exoskeleton. ReWalk is a wearable robotic suit composed of leg braces, motors, sensors, wireless wrist keypad, back support and a computer. The leg braces are attached to the body with VELCRO® fasteners. The back support and backpack with computer are strapped to the upper body.
To use ReWalk, a seated user presses a button on the keypad. That signals the motors in the suit to engage, pulling the person into a standing position. Crutches must be used to maintain balance. Once standing, the person leans forward to walk. The sensors on the suit detect the forward lean and trigger the motors to lift and bend the legs, just as if the wearer was really walking. To stop walking, the wearer simply returns the upper body into a straight position. ReWalk can even be used to climb stairs.
Rewalk is not approved by the FDA yet. You can go to the related link for more information on the latest studies.
