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Exoskeleton helping the paralyzed walk

OCBuckWife

I am the evil monkey in your closet
There are quite a few of these kinds of technologies being worked on. I hadn't heard of one in regular use until now, however. Very cool!

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."
The device, called ReWalk, is the brainchild of engineer Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, a small Israeli high-tech company.
Something of a mix between the exoskeleton of a crustacean and the suit worn by comic hero Iron Man, ReWalk helps paraplegics -- people paralyzed below the waist -- to stand, walk and climb stairs.
Goffer himself was paralyzed in an accident in 1997 but he cannot use his own invention because he does not have full function of his arms.
The system, which requires crutches to help with balance, consists of motorized leg supports, body sensors and a back pack containing a computerized control box and rechargeable batteries.

LINK
 
BrutuStrength;1238769; said:
Very cool indeed! I always figured something like this had to be possible to design, so it's great to see a working product.
What? We've had this technology since the 80s?!

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BrutuStrength;1238769; said:
Very cool indeed! I always figured something like this had to be possible to design, so it's great to see a working product.

There's been a crap load of research over the past decade.

A japanese designed exoskeleton was used by a climber to carry a paraplegic to the summit of the Breithorn in Switzerland. They had to turn back short of the summit as they didn't want to miss the cable car from the base camp back to the base of the mountain.

DARPA has also been doing a lot of work on an exoskeleton that they intend to field with artillery units for use in picking up and loading the heavy rounds. There is also a model in the prototype stage who's goal is to double a soldier's combat load.

Google HAL-5, Sarcos & Bleex.
 
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Muck;1238956; said:
There's been a crap load of research over the past decade.

A japanese designed exoskeleton was used by a climber to carry a paraplegic to the summit of the Breithorn in Switzerland. They had to turn back short of the summit as they didn't want to miss the cable car from the base camp back to the base of the mountain.

DARPA has also been doing a lot of work on an exoskeleton that they intend to field with artillery units for use in picking up and loading the heavy rounds. There is also a model in the prototype stage who's goal is to double a soldier's combat load. Google HAL-5 & Bleex.


Yes but those won't work to terribly well for paralyzed people as they are designed more for enhancing ability(such as strenght) rather than producing ability(providing movement when there wasn't any) as I understand it. Not that they aren't still incredibly cool too!
 
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