ROBOTIC EXOSKELETONS BME 281 Brandon Williams
PROBLEM BEING SOLVED Inability to walk due to thoracic and lumbar spinal cord injury Reduce risk of secondary problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis Improve quality of life (reduce pain) Reduce social issues
IMPORTANCE 250,000 Americans are spinal cord injured Approximately 12,500 new injuries occur each year in the U.S. 56% of injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30 Causes Of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Vehicular 38% Falls 30% Violence (primarily gunshot wounds) 14% Sports/Recreation Activities 9% Medical/Surgical 5% Other 4%
HISTORY 2 nd century BC first wheeled seats used in china 1933 - Harry Jennings and his disabled friend Herbert Everest, both mechanical engineers, invented the first lightweight, steel, collapsible wheelchair 1960s Armed forces developed the Hardiman suit which weighed 1500 lbs and could move at about 2.5 ft/s 1983 - LIFESUIT was created by Monty Reed, a United States Army Ranger who had broken his back in a parachute accident 2005- LIFESUIT VII was able to complete 3 miles in 90 minutes 2013 FDA approves first commercial sale of Rewalk robotic exoskeleton
RECIPROCATING GAIT ORTHOSES Unpowered First introduced in 1967 Flexion of one hip extends the other Use with walker or crutches High energy exertion Slow walking speed
REWALK ROBOTICS Enables paraplegics to stand upright, walk and climb stairs Backpack battery Wrist-mounted remote which detects and enhances the user's movements Motors located at the hip and knee joints Costs about $70,000 Weighs about 51 lbs
GAIT WITH ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON
EKSO BIONICS First exoskeleton approved by the FDA for use in patients affected by stroke Motors can be controlled individually only providing power where necessary Weighs 55 pounds Provides trunk support Costs about $110,000
CLINICAL TRIALS 8 Rewalk, 3 Ekso, and 2 Indego studies 76% of the patients could walk without physical assistance Same average physiological cost of able-bodied person walking 61% increase in bowel regularity in 3 studies 38% decrease in spasticity in 5 studies Only 1 study report falls
MILITARY USE Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) Titanium System transfers up to 200 lbs Range up to 12 miles handles 7 mph and short bursts of up to 10 mph Power assisted straps for heavy lifting
FUTURE Soft exoskeleton Pneumatic muscles Lighter, more flexible More customizable Cheaper Weather resistant Distant future: skin tight exoskeleton
REFERENCES Miller et al. "Clinical Effectiveness and Safety of Powered Exoskeleton-assisted Walking in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: Systematic Review with Meta-analysis." MDER Medical Devices: Evidence and Research (2016): 455. Web Platz et al. "Device-Training for Individuals with Thoracic and Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury Using a Powered Exoskeleton for Technically Assisted Mobility: Achievements and User Satisfaction." BioMed Research International 2016 (2016): 1-10. Web. "Spinal Cord Injury Facts & Statistics." Spinal Cord Injury Facts & Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016. "ReWalk Exoskeleton Earns FDA Approval." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016. "Lockheed Martin's HULC Robotic Exoskeleton MK II." Lockheed Martin's HULC Robotic Exoskeleton MK II. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016. Davis, Steve. "Forget Iron Man-skintight Suits Are the Future of Robotic Exoskeletons." Forget Iron Man -skintight Suits Are the Future of Robotic Exoskeletons. N.p., 28 June 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016. http://fillauer.com/pdf/m009-rgo.pdf