| Manufacturer | Vanderbilt University Parker Hannifin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Year of creation | 2010 (prototype) |
| Type | Powered exoskeleton |
| Purpose | Medical |
The Vanderbilt exoskeleton, marketed as Indego, [1] [2] is a powered exoskeleton designed by the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics at Vanderbilt University in the U.S. state of Tennessee. [3] [4] It is intended to assist paraplegics, stroke victims and other paralyzed or semi-paralyzed people to walk independently. [5] Motion and control technologies manufacturer Parker Hannifin is funding further development, and plans to release the first commercial version of the exoskeleton in 2015. [6] [7]
In 2012, there were estimated to be over 270,000 Americans with long-term spinal cord injuries, of whom around 21 percent suffer from complete paraplegia. [8] The lifetime cost of care and lost productivity for each paraplegic ranges from US$1.4 million to $2.2 million. [8] However, since the late 2000s, robotics and battery technology have become sufficiently advanced to make wearable walking assistance devices viable. [9] [10]
The Vanderbilt exoskeleton weighs 27 pounds (12 kg) and can support users weighing up to 200 pounds (91 kg). [3] [4] It is strapped to the user's legs, and uses an onboard computer to detect the user's movements, which are then supported and amplified by battery-powered motors in the exoskeleton's hip and knee joints. [5] It also uses functional electrical stimulation to enervate the muscles of paralyzed patients, improving their strength and circulation, [11] and can be quickly disassembled for removal. [12] It can be used interchangeably with a wheelchair, and can be donned without assistance, allowing disabled individuals significantly greater independence. [5] It is compact enough for a person to sit in a normal chair without needing to remove the exoskeleton. [12]
Vanderbilt University began testing its exoskeleton with paraplegics and medical experts at a rehabilitation center in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2010. [12] In October 2012, Parker Hannifin signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Vanderbilt University for the right to develop and manufacture a commercial version of the exoskeleton, which it plans to release under the name Indego. [6] [1] Whereas current commercial exoskeletons can cost as much as $140,000, Parker Hannifin hopes to exploit its manufacturing capabilities and the Vanderbilt model's lightweight design to ensure that the Indego is significantly cheaper. [5] In March 2014, Parker Hannifin entered into clinical trial agreements for the exoskeleton with several major medical rehabilitation centres. [7] In December 2014, Parker Hannifin invested in Freedom Innovations, a California-based prosthetic technology company with which it had a pre-existing partnership, to further the development of Indego. [13] Following regulatory approval, Parker Hannifin plans to release Indego in Europe in 2015 and in the United States in 2016. [7]
Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek (παραπληγίη) "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural (brain) elements of the spinal canal. The area of the spinal canal that is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions. If four limbs are affected by paralysis, tetraplegia or quadriplegia is the correct term. If only one limb is affected, the correct term is monoplegia. Spastic paraplegia is a form of paraplegia defined by spasticity of the affected muscles, rather than flaccid paralysis.
Parker Hannifin Corporation, originally Parker Appliance Company, usually referred to as just Parker, is an American corporation specializing in motion and control technologies. Its corporate headquarters are in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, in Greater Cleveland.
Sir Ludwig Guttmann was a German-British neurologist who established the Stoke Mandeville Games, the sporting event for people with disabilities (PWD) that evolved in England into the Paralympic Games. A Jewish doctor who fled Nazi Germany just before the start of the Second World War, Guttmann was a founding father of organized physical activities for people with disabilities.
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Bio-mechatronics is an applied interdisciplinary science that aims to integrate biology and mechatronics. It also encompasses the fields of robotics and neuroscience. Biomechatronic devices cover a wide range of applications, from developing prosthetic limbs to engineering solutions concerning respiration, vision, and the cardiovascular system.
The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is a not-for-profit nationally ranked physical medicine and rehabilitation research hospital based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1954, the AbilityLab is designed for patient care, education, and research in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). The AbilityLab specializes in rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions ranging from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. Affiliated with Northwestern University, the hospital is located on Northwestern’s Chicago campus and partners on research and medical efforts.
ReWalk is a commercial bionic walking assistance system that uses powered leg attachments to enable paraplegics to stand upright, walk and climb stairs. The system is powered by a backpack battery, and is controlled by a simple wrist-mounted remote which detects and enhances the user's movements. Designed in Yokneam, Israel, by Amit Goffer, the ReWalk is marketed by ReWalk Robotics Ltd, and is priced at approximately US$85,000 per unit.
SoldierStrong is a Stamford, Connecticut based 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to improve the lives of the men and the women of the United States Armed Forces.
A powered exoskeleton is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, providing ergonomic structural support and powered by a system of electric motors, pneumatics, levers, hydraulics or a combination of cybernetic technologies, while allowing for sufficient limb movement with increased strength and endurance. The exoskeleton is designed to provide better mechanical load tolerance, and its control system aims to sense and synchronize with the user's intended motion and relay the signal to motors which manage the gears. The exoskeleton also protects the user's shoulder, waist, back and thigh against overload, and stabilizes movements when lifting and holding heavy items.
Christopher Meek is an American philanthropist and finance executive and author. Meek is the co-founder and chairman of SoldierStrong, a charitable organization which provides support for U.S. service members and veterans. He is also the co-founder and chairman of START Now!, a non-profit which provides foreclosure counseling to homeowners. He is also the managing director of global relationship management at S&P Global and a member of the Maxwell School Advisory Board at Syracuse University.
Sir George Montario Bedbrook, OBE was an Australian medical doctor and surgeon, who was the driving force in creating the Australian Paralympic movement and the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, and helped to found the FESPIC Games.
Homayoon Kazerooni is an Iranian-born American roboticist, mechanical engineering, and professor. He serves as a professor of mechanical engineering, and the director of the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. Kazerooni is also the co-founder of Ekso Bionics and SuitX. As a noted authority on robotics, he is frequently profiled and quoted in the media.
Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc. is a company that develops and manufactures powered exoskeleton bionic devices that can be strapped on as wearable robots to enhance the strength, mobility, and endurance of industrial workers and people experiencing paralysis and mobility issues after a brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or spinal cord injury. They enable individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness, including those who are paralyzed, to stand up and walk.
Claire Lomas is a British campaigner, fundraiser, motivational speaker and former event rider. She became a paraplegic as a result of a riding accident in 2007. In 2012, she finished the 32nd Virgin London Marathon in 17 days using the ReWalk robotic suit.
Cybathlon, a project of ETH Zurich, acts as a platform that challenges teams from all over the world to develop assistive technologies suitable for everyday use with and for people with disabilities. The driving force behind CYBATHLON is international competitions and events, in which teams consisting of technology developers from universities, companies or NGOs and a person with disabilities (pilot) tackle unsolved everyday tasks with their latest assistive technologies. Besides the actual competition, the Cybathlon offers a benchmarking platform to drive forward research on assistance systems for dealing with daily-life challenges, and to promote dialogue with the public for the inclusion of people with disabilities in society. The involvement of the pilot is considered essential both to the competition and in the development process, to ensure that the perspective and needs of end users are considered and addressed.
Proportional myoelectric control can be used to activate robotic lower limb exoskeletons. A proportional myoelectric control system utilizes a microcontroller or computer that inputs electromyography (EMG) signals from sensors on the leg muscle(s) and then activates the corresponding joint actuator(s) proportionally to the EMG signal.
Dariusz "Darek" Fidyka is a Polish firefighter and recovering paraplegic who became the first person in history to verifiably recover sensory and motor function after the complete severing of his spinal cord.
Spinal cord injury research seeks new ways to cure or treat spinal cord injury in order to lessen the debilitating effects of the injury in the short or long term. There is no cure for SCI, and current treatments are mostly focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation and management of the secondary effects of the condition. Two major areas of research include neuroprotection, ways to prevent damage to cells caused by biological processes that take place in the body after the injury, and neuroregeneration, regrowing or replacing damaged neural circuits.
Walk Again Project is an international, non-profit consortium led by Miguel Nicolelis, created in 2009 in a partnership between Duke University and the IINN/ELS, where researchers come together to find neuro-rehabilitation treatments for spinal cord injuries, which pioneered the development and use of the brain–machine interface, including its non-invasive version, with an EEG.
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