[Blind-rollers] wearable robots

[Becky Frankeberger]

When Michael Gore stands, it's a triumph of science and engineering. Eleven
years ago, Gore was paralyzed from the waist down in a workplace accident,
yet he rises from his wheelchair to his full 6-foot-2-inches and walks
across the room with help from a lightweight wearable robot.

The technology has many nicknames. Besides "wearable robot," the inventions
also are called "electronic legs" or "powered exoskeletons." This version,
called Indego, is among several competing products being used and tested in
U.S. rehab hospitals that hold promise not only for people such as Gore with
spinal injuries, but also those recovering from strokes or afflicted with
multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

Still at least a year away from the market, the 27-pound Indego is the
lightest of the powered exoskeletons. It snaps together from pieces that fit
into a backpack. The goal is for the user to be able to carry it on a
wheelchair, put it together, strap it on and walk independently. None of the
products, including the Indego, are yet approved by federal regulators for
personal use, meaning they must be used under the supervision of a physical
therapist.

Gore, 42, of Whiteville, N.C., demonstrated the device this week at the
American Spinal Injury Association meeting in Chicago, successfully
negotiating a noisy, crowded hallway of medical professionals and people
with spinal injuries in wheelchairs.

When he leans forward, the device takes a first step. When he tilts from
side to side, it walks. When Gore wants to stop, he leans back and the
robotic leg braces come to a halt. Gore uses forearm crutches for balance. A
battery in the hip piece powers the motors in the robotic legs.

"Being able to speak with you eye-to-eye is just a big emotional boost,"
Gore said to a reporter. "Being able to walk up to you and say hello is not
a big thing until you cannot do it."

The devices won't replace wheelchairs, which are faster. None of the devices
are speedy enough, for example, for a paralyzed person to walk across a
street before the light changes, said Arun Jayaraman of the Rehabilitation
Institute of Chicago, who is testing a number of similar devices.

"None of them have fall prevention technology," Jayaraman said. "If the
person falls, they can hurt themselves badly. If you fall down, how do you
get off a robot that is strapped into you?" They need to be even lighter and
have longer-lasting batteries, he said.

Still, Jayaraman said, the devices might help prevent pressure sores from
sitting too long in a wheelchair, improve heart health, develop muscle
strength, lift depression and ultimately bring down medical costs by keeping
healthier patients out of the hospital.

Companies in Israel, New Zealand and California make competing devices, and
all the products are becoming less bulky as they are refined. The Indego was
invented at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and tested at the Shepherd
Center, a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta. It's now licensed to
Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corp., which makes precision engineered
products like aircraft wheels and brakes.

Like many other research participants in clinical studies, Gore receives a
stipend for his participation from Vanderbilt University.

It's unclear exactly how much the devices will cost if they become available
for personal use. Some technology news media reports have said $50,000 to
$75,000. Indego's makers want to bring the cost below that, said co-inventor
Ryan Farris of Parker Hannifin. Experts say it will take years of research
to prove health benefits before Medicare and private insurance companies
would consider covering the expense.

Paul Tobin, president of the nonprofit advocacy group United Spinal, said
wearable robots present an exciting opportunity but that patients should
keep their expectations realistic.

"It's going to be critical that people have a thorough medical evaluation
before trying something like this, especially if they've been injured for
some time," Tobin said. "It won't be appropriate for everyone. For some
people, it will be a godsend."