Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk
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.
The user picks a setting with a remote control wrist band -- stand, sit, walk, descend or climb -- and then leans forward, activating the body sensors and setting the robotic legs in motion.
"It raises people out of their wheelchair and lets them stand up straight," Goffer said. "It's not just about health, it's also about dignity."
EYE CONTACT
Kate Parkin, director of physical and occupational therapy at NYU Medical Centre, said it has the potential to improve a user's health in two ways.
"Physically, the body works differently when upright. You can challenge different muscles and allow full expansion of the lungs," Parkin said. "Psychologically, it lets people live at the upright level and make eye contact."
One hopes this is just the beginning.
I hope so, too. I expect this will prolong their lives and enrich them--I imagine the heart and lungs work far better when it is possible to stand, sit and move about. YEAH
Posted by: clarice | August 25, 2008 at 02:47 PM
That is really cool.
Posted by: Porchlight | August 25, 2008 at 02:54 PM
Kudos to Mr. Goffer....the world needs more men and women like him.
Posted by: matt | August 25, 2008 at 02:58 PM
Real science rocks!!
Posted by: bad | August 25, 2008 at 03:35 PM
Off topic. But this is the link to the answer from the Denver archbishop to the theological nonsense being spouted by "POPE" Nancy Pelosi on Meet the Press yesterday.
http://www.archden.org/images/ArchbishopCorner/ByTopic/onseparationofsense%26state_openlettercjc8.25.08.pdf
Posted by: bio mom | August 25, 2008 at 03:55 PM
Amazing. Just another in a long line of accomplishments for Israelis.
Posted by: Sue | August 25, 2008 at 04:24 PM
Dah dah dum dum dum!
To think I thought it was just a metaphor back in 70's.
Posted by: Walter | August 25, 2008 at 08:07 PM
Awesome!
Hope I never, ever need one!
Posted by: qrstuv | August 25, 2008 at 10:27 PM