Students at TU Delft have developed a robot suit that enables a spinal cord injury patient to walk again. In an earlier example, the patient still needed crutches to keep balance, but that is no longer necessary.
The students call the exoskeleton the MARCH VIII.
While walking, a kind of noise arose earlier in the brain of the ‘pilot’. The students have now succeeded in suppressing that noise. For example, the driver can make the robot suit stop just by thinking about it.
In previous suits, it was also necessary to use crutches to maintain balance. With the MARCH VIII that is no longer necessary. The spinal cord injury patient can now, for example, hold his girlfriend’s hand, drink coffee or throw a ball for his dog.
New sensors have also been added to the suit. As a result, the patient’s gait and posture are “smoother, more natural and more comfortable”. In addition, the robot suit can feel better how it makes contact with the ground while walking.
What is a spinal cord injury?
In a spinal cord injury, the spinal cord is damaged. As a result, signals from the brain can no longer reach all parts of the body. For example, patients can no longer feel and move their legs.
2023-07-21 20:26:23
#Students #suit #paraplegic #patient #walk #Science
