Ekso, formerly eLEGS, at Good Shepherd
Robotic Exoskeleton Technology Helps the Paralyzed Walk!
Ekso Bionics' Ekso exoskeleton is available for therapy and maintenance use at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network. Good Shepherd was the third rehab facility in the country to receive an Ekso!
The Power of Ekso
Imagine a robotic technology that allows a person with lower extremity weakness or paralysis to stand up and walk. That technology is a reality in the form of a ready-to-wear exoskeleton called Ekso.
Ekso allows a person with lower-extremity paralysis or weakness (spinal cord injury or MS) to stand and walk through a series of sensors that work with a gesture-based interface that detects the user's intentions. The battery-powered, on-board computer then commands motors at the hip and knee joints to move the legs through a smooth, natural gait. Patients must use crutches or a parallel bar for balance.
The exoskeleton was a Time Magazine Top 50 Innovation [1] for 2010.
Check out videos of patients walking with the Ekso on YouTube [2].
See the technology in action:
Ekso, formerly eLEGS, Exoskeleton Trials at Good Shepherd
In May 2011, Ekso Bionics trained Good Shepherd therapists to use the exoskeleton with patients who have lower-extremity weakness or paralysis. Patients with spinal cord injury [3] worked with Good Shepherd therapists to test the Ekso exoskeleton before it became commercially available.
Ekso Bionics collaborated with Good Shepherd and a select number of other nationally recognized rehabilitation facilities in the U.S. to optimize the Ekso exoskeleton so that it becomes an accessible and affordable therapeutic mobility device. Ekso holds great promise for people with spinal cord injury [3], MS or other neurological conditions.
Media Coverage of the Exoskeleton at Good Shepherd
WFMZ Channel 69 News [4]
The Morning Call [5]
The Express-Times [6]
Location:
Harry C. Trexler Center for Assistive Technology
Good Shepherd Health & Technology Center [8]
Good Shepherd Plaza
850 South 5th St.
Allentown, PA 18103
Contact:
Phone: 610-776-3221
