We are talking about wearable robots which can help humans walk (overcome severe disabilities), run faster, and lift heavy items.
Who are they?
Ekso Bionics is the robotics company which has made products such as a wearable external body frame that can be worn by soldiers under their uniform so they can lift heavy loads and a device people suffering from spinal injuries can wear during rehabilitation (and perhaps even indefinitely).
What do they do?
Just look at the Ekso GT. This exoskeleton looks like a brace with a backpack and crutches. It was designed to help people who lost partial or complete use of their legs. This works with the sensors of the device responding to any weight falling on them which initiates assisted steps. This ensures the wearer gets aligned in a proper pattern for walking which helps in the quick rehabilitation of patients.
People suffering from full paralysis can also benefit from reduced pain, improved bowel and bladder function, and lesser health complications since they will be able to get out of chairs and on their feet and be mobile. Something most people take for granted is a lifelong obsession to these types of people.
Success stories?
Matt Tilford, a paraplegic because of a car accident 8 years ago, moved around in a bionic suit with help from his physical therapist. He is not going to regain the ability to walk no matter what, but with the suit, his digestion and general wellbeing has been improved over the years. He said that he didn't move around too much and was confined to a wheelchair earlier. But with the suit, he had an all new perspective on life and could look people in the eye instead of them having to look down at him. It is a massive psychological victory that most healthy people would not understand.
Origins
Ekso Bionics was started at the Berkeley Robotics & Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California when Homayoon Kazerooni received a grant in 2000 from Defense Advanced Research Projects. This resulted in the creation of BLEEX which was a wearable robot that let soldiers, firefighters, and disaster-relief workers carry huge loads of weaponry, equipment, and food with little effort. It was followed up with new exoskeletons which helped soldiers carry huge loads without affecting their joints.
Ekso GT
This version was released three years ago and has been acquired by more than 100 hospitals throughout the world since then. One of the hospitals which acquired it is the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto, which managed to make the acquisition with the help of donations from Soldier Socks, a non-profit which works with veterans who have been wounded. At least someone is doing something for veterans.
The Future
The future as far as rehabilitation robots are concerned is expected to expand very quickly from around $43.3 million in 2014 to $1.8 billion in 2020. Ekso isn't making a profit just yet but people are optimistic regarding its future mostly due to its potential to completely change the rehabilitation market. The company currently has eighty-five employees, most of them are working in Richmond.
A lot of its current projects involve the US military and various subcontractors such as Lockheed Martin. They also have projects focused on the health care market which has not been helped by the Affordable Care Act. A lot of their projects are still in the prototype stage with more than one hundred patents pending around the world.
