Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk

[raccoon]

Source: Reuters


By Ari Rabinovitch 30 minutes ago

HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.

That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward -- with a proud expression on his face -- as passersby stare in surprise.

"I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.

"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080825/sc_nm/technology_paralysis_dc

---

Some GOOD news for a change!

[gaspee]

1. I thought I saw that

On DarkAngel (stupid sci-fi show) a decade ago. Guess it wasn't so far-fetched.

[1monster]

28. Sixty Minutes did a piece on something like this in development twenty or so years ago

here in the United States. It was not nearly so advanced at that time and I've heard nothing about it since then.

The story centered around a young paraplegic woman and the research/deloper/inventors who were working on a means to get paraplegics back on their feet.

The idea has been around for quite a few years. I'm glad to see that progress is being made. It should significantly improve the health of the users.

[bitchkitty]

2. Fantastic - a wonderful example

of how technology can save us if used in the right spirit!

[librechik]

3. Ironman rules! n/t

[beezlebum]

4. and another

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/08/25/tongue.computing.ap/index.html?eref=ib_topstories

'Tongue computing' could help disabled
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The tireless tongue already controls taste and speech, helps kiss and swallow and fights germs. Now scientists hope to add one more ability to the mouthy muscle, and turn it into a computer control pad.

Georgia Tech researchers believe a magnetic, tongue-powered system could transform a disabled person's mouth into a virtual computer, teeth into a keyboard -- and tongue into the key that manipulates it all.

"You could have full control over your environment by just being able to move your tongue," said Maysam Ghovanloo, a Georgia Tech assistant professor who leads the team's research.


...

[bitchkitty]

7. Thank you!

I love these kinds of articles.

[cosmicdot]

11. may I add another re 'hope for eye strokes'?

Treatment offers hope for eye strokes

Euna Lhee The Baltimore Sun

Monday, August 11, 2008

At first, Christine Jablonski didn't worry about the blurry vision in her right eye. She dismissed it as a flake of morning mascara and went about her daily business in Ellicott City, Md. But within two hours, the eye went dark.

She rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where doctors told her there was nothing they could do to restore her vision - she had suffered an "eye stroke" from a clot blocking a key blood vessel that supplies the retina.

But her daughter, a doctor, had heard about an experimental treatment pioneered by doctors at Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute. The hospital's Brain Attack Team, a group of physicians who specialize in strokes of the brain, was called in. They ran a catheter all the way from Jablonski's groin to her eyeball and injected a clot-busting agent.

"I could see my vision coming back. It was like a curtain of color," Jablonski said. Within two hours, her eyesight had returned to normal.

~snip~

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/aug/11/treatment-offers-hope-for-eye-strokes/

[Warpy]

5. I've often thought the exoskeleton model was the way to go

for a lot of things, from paralysis to severe arthritis to muscle wasting diseases like MD. The main problem is being able to supply adequate power to create movement.

The breakthrough for every paraplegic patient I ever saw was when we braced the legs well enough to get them to stand between parallel bars, stand even for a few seconds. Even though they knew they'd be spending 99% of their time in a chair, that ability to stand under very controlled conditions meant the world to them and gave them their full humanity back.

Until we can figure out how to regrow a spinal cord or regrow wasted muscles, this will be a wonderful help.

[Hugin]

8. It also probably helps to exercise the paralyzed limbs.

I know that's an important aspect of physical therapy. It improves circulation and tone.

[Warpy]

10. yes, that's the main reason we did it

but the improvement in the patient's outlook was remarkable the first time s/he stood.

[Xithras]

9. Yes, Power has always been the issue. I wonder how he resolved it.

I remember seeing a demonstration of something similar to this over a decade ago, but it wasn't going to be made available on the market because of power issues. Even with the best batteries of the day, it had a runtime of less than 30 minutes. I'm assuming that the skeleton here has lighter components and the latest LiON batteries, but it's interesting that the article doesn't discuss the runtime. It can't be more than an hour or two.

The problem is that keeping a body upright requires constant effort. It's not like powering a wheeled vehicle where power is simply exerted getting it up to speed, and then a lesser amount of power is required to maintain speed. The unimpeded behavior of an upright body is to fall down, and our bodies counter that by exerting constant muscle pressure to keep it upright. In a paralyzed body, that pressure must be exerted by electric motors which consume energy. When you factor in the added power required to actually make the skeleton move, the power requirements spike.

[ekwhite]

26. I think the key here is the crutch requirement

The article said that crutches were needed to maintain balance. From looking at the pictures, the patient was assisting the exoskeleton with the crutches. In that case, the exoskeleton does not have to exert energy to maintain balance. The patient must use the crutches to stay upright. In a case like that, the amount of energy used by the exoskeleton would be greatly reduced.

[Pastiche423]

17. Have you ever put this on a long time post patient?

Like me, for example. I've been injured (Hemiplegia due to TBI) for almost two decades. My concern is bone strength. Is the pressure put on bones lessened somehow by the robot suit? Also, can a patient put this own her/hisself?

[Warpy]

20. I've never put a robot suit on anyone

but I'm surprised people with hemiparesis aren't put into standing frames as a normal part of ongoing physical therapy.

Paraplegics who can afford good care do use the standing frame to maintain bone density.

[Pastiche423]

22. Did you miss the part about being over almost two decades

post injury?

Or does this mean the suit is only for the newly injured?

P.S. I know very few paras or even quads that can afford good care.

[Ezlivin]

29. Most of these things are for newly injured not those with chronic injuries

I'm 28 years post-injury (T-4 complete) and every year since my injury I've read that the "breakthrough" will occur next year.

It's become a bit of a running joke with me. (No pun intended.) When I'm asked about the possibility for a cure for my SCI I always confidently respond, "They'll have it next year."

What you, I and others realize is that we (generally) fall into the last category for any sort of "cure" or solution. Loss of bone density, contracting muscles and other various ailments typically are added as you age.

I push a manual wheelchair and I've lost count of the times people have asked me why I don't use a power chair. My stock response is that my energy is far more reliable than a battery's and a manual wheelchair is much easier to maintain and keep operating. I feel the same way about this exoskeleton; it's cool as hell, but you have to power it up, keep it powered and maintain it. How long does it take to get and out of it? What happens if you fall? How do you get back up? If you are outside and it begins to rain, can you make it back inside before it shorts out?

Oh well, the cure will be here next year I hear....

[Pastiche423]

32. lol

I quit thinking about the cure at least fifteen years ago. W/me and most of my crip friends, it's always been just five more years until the cure!

I use a manual as well. My answer to those that ask about a powerchair, is that pushing my chair is the only real exercise I can get. Also, you can't put a powerchair in the backseat of someone's car.

Although I pretty much thought this was just for the newly injured, I still wonder where the manufacturer thought all the crips were going to come up w/twenty thousand dollars for their new invention. Like the Ibot, insurance will not pay for it.

Btw, my injury is not SCI, but I function like a T-12 para.

[sasquatch]

6. Sweet

:)

[Spiffarino]

12. One question

Why aren't these kinds of discoveries being made in American any more?

Oh wait...Trickle-down Economics...I almost forgot. I guess those rich people who got all that money are going to start trickling it down where it's needed real soon.

Any fucking day now.

[raccoon]

13. All I can say to that is...

:rofl:

[WriteDown]

14. These kind of posts make us look silly....

I can see why the word "fringe" is bandied about sometimes. There are still plenty of accomplishments by countries all over the world including the U.S. Look at some of the recent miracle surgeries that have been performed here. I understand that people are frustrated, but lets just be proud of the accomplishment.

[cobalt1999]

18. Other people besides Americans are intelligent too & we have our own discoveries.

See the below link...

www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-06/rebuilding-troops

[FatDave]

15. Sorry, all I can think of is this:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39133

[Fumesucker]

16. Heinlein thought of something very similar in 1942

Waldo..

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=23

And then of course Heinlein came up with the "powered suit", an exoskeleton fighting suit in 1959.

[Phredicles]

24. I was going to post about a story by John Varley called "Blue Champagne",

which featured such an exoskeleton. But Varley is a big admirer of Heinlein's, so I think I can guess where he got the idea.

In any case, Nothing new under the sun and all that.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Wow. That is wonderful.

I think being paralyzed is one of my top three fears in life. It's great to see there is some hope for increased mobility.

[superconnected]

21. Wonderful, thank you for posting this.

I hope the price comes down and they have a version for children too.

How awesome!

[loyalsister]

23. Priorities.....

I'm glad that this isn't a story coming from here. I have long been sick of focusing our dollars on techonology and ignoring the existing people who have disabilities.
Believe it or not, many can function quite well as they are with proper adaptations and accomodations that are currently available.

[MilesColtrane]

25. Just in time for Sigourney Weaver to throw the Queen out of the airlock.

[Bette Noir]

27. My first thought was, Just like in "Wrong Trousers."

Aren't there any other Ardman Animation fans in DU?

[Terry in Austin]

34. Do-oo something, Gromit! nt

[happygoluckytoyou]

30. coming soon to a GOP CONVENTION near you... the old guy CAN be pres with on of these

[marshall]

31. It sure would have helped FDR

Much attention was paid to keeping the public as unaware of his paralysis as possible.

[Nikki Stone1]

33. I wonder if it will have any long term curative effects

Like improved muscle tone and, maybe, improved nerve function?

[amuse bouche]

35. Encourage kids to become scientists and engineers

They will change the world

[tomreedtoon]

36. Ripley's Believe It Or Not:: "You get away from her, you bitch!"

I'm just sayin'...