Powered exoskeletons/robotic trousers.
Discussion
In recent years exoskeletons have been developed by the US Army to enable a soldier to carry heavy objects while running or climbing stairs.
However, it has also been developed for medical use for stroke or Spinal cord injury patients which is where my interest in this kind of technology comes from.
As someone who is partially paralysed I recently had the opportunity to try out one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5bgZ1mO97M
A similar model was featured on Ch4 news a while back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC6habKtL74
For someone who already uses crutches or a walker to move short distances there are few benefits to this as I can already get onto my feet however I know several paraplegics, with complete loss of function below their waist, as well as some quadriplegics who have used this to 'walk' for the first time in years.
There are however lots of practical problems with a unit like this which makes it,other than for therapeutic use, kind of pointless at the moment. For example:
1. Cost - these units currently cost over $100k.
2. Battery life - it doesn't last very long.
3. Size and Weight - it's quite bulky and weighs about 35 kilos.
4. It's really really slow - a wheelchair is much faster.
5. It doesn't balance itself so you still have to use crutches.
4. You couldn't pick things up from the floor or use it whilst sitting on the loo for example.
So I wonder how this technology will eventually evolve. Do you think we'll ever have an affordable and practical suit for a paralysed person to wear and go about their daily life with?
However, it has also been developed for medical use for stroke or Spinal cord injury patients which is where my interest in this kind of technology comes from.
As someone who is partially paralysed I recently had the opportunity to try out one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5bgZ1mO97M
A similar model was featured on Ch4 news a while back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC6habKtL74
For someone who already uses crutches or a walker to move short distances there are few benefits to this as I can already get onto my feet however I know several paraplegics, with complete loss of function below their waist, as well as some quadriplegics who have used this to 'walk' for the first time in years.
There are however lots of practical problems with a unit like this which makes it,other than for therapeutic use, kind of pointless at the moment. For example:
1. Cost - these units currently cost over $100k.
2. Battery life - it doesn't last very long.
3. Size and Weight - it's quite bulky and weighs about 35 kilos.
4. It's really really slow - a wheelchair is much faster.
5. It doesn't balance itself so you still have to use crutches.
4. You couldn't pick things up from the floor or use it whilst sitting on the loo for example.
So I wonder how this technology will eventually evolve. Do you think we'll ever have an affordable and practical suit for a paralysed person to wear and go about their daily life with?
Edited by Victor McDade on Saturday 4th January 19:38
Not an area of technology that should really be concentrated on for paralysis IMO. Nerve bypass surgeries and other techniques are progressing quite rapidly. Scientists have recently discovered how the trigger mechanism for nerve regrowth operates for example.
Look at petman on youtube. Biped robots are able to walk and balance so I can see this moving into assisting disabled people. Google own Boston Dynamics (the inventors of petman and big dog), so hopefully they aim to sell to companies and governments, but keep the costs down for medical use.
Didn't someone complete the London Marathon last year in a similar suit?
I think the military possibilities are always going to drive the R&D simply because they have more money, but the technology will gradually filter down to the civilian market, however even for the military the benefit is fairly limited. Robotic systems like Big Dog that can carry equipment over terrain that wheeled/tracked vehicles can't make some sense, but strapping a soldier in to equipment that could relatively easily be damaged and leave him vulnerable isn't such a great idea IMO.
I think the military possibilities are always going to drive the R&D simply because they have more money, but the technology will gradually filter down to the civilian market, however even for the military the benefit is fairly limited. Robotic systems like Big Dog that can carry equipment over terrain that wheeled/tracked vehicles can't make some sense, but strapping a soldier in to equipment that could relatively easily be damaged and leave him vulnerable isn't such a great idea IMO.
Victor,
As a potantial user, you probably know what happened to the iBot wheelchair.
Kerb- and stair-climbing, rough terrain-crossing, and able to raise its height to put the rider's head level with walkers, it looked to be a great solution for paraplegics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK5uAeEV7tI
But it went out of production.
John
As a potantial user, you probably know what happened to the iBot wheelchair.
Kerb- and stair-climbing, rough terrain-crossing, and able to raise its height to put the rider's head level with walkers, it looked to be a great solution for paraplegics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK5uAeEV7tI
But it went out of production.
John
durbster said:
I still don't see the point in wasting the unit's extremely limited energy by moving the user's legs too. A pair of legs must weigh 20-30kg, so unless the intention is to exercise them, obviously, why not just support the legs then use that energy to power the robotics?
The legs are an important part of the system, acting as a part of the structure. It would need to be heavier without them. Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff