By Andrea Rumbaugh – November 6, 2017
Erin Edenfield of TIRR Memorial Hermann demonstrates the Indego Exoskeletons Therapy kit with the help of Marcie Kern on Monday during the International Symposium on Wearable and Rehabilitation Robotics.
Vikki McFarland took 554 steps. Multiple sclerosis put her in a wheelchair in 2007, but with the wearable robotics she recently walked around the NeuroRecovery Research Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann, activating motors at her hips and knees by tilting her torso.
“I felt like there were new muscles in my body that I haven’t felt in a long time,” McFarland said.
There are a host of wearable devices being used by clinicians. One, for instance, puts participants on a treadmill while wearing a belt attached to wires. The wires put force on the pelvic in a manner needed for the patients to adjust their stance while walking and, ultimately, retrain their walking patterns.
Continue Reading