Researchers at the University of Twente in Enschede, Netherlands have come up with an exoskeleton that can help patients who have suffered a stroke to gain a natural gait. The LOwer-extremity Powered ExoSkeleton (LOPES) and is proving useful to people who have spinal cord injuries.
Dutch rehab robot goes 3D
Dr. Edwin van Asseldonk, the lead researcher in the state funded project, said that with stroke survivors, it's very important that they get signals to the brain but also that they send signals downwards from the brain. It's only when you get information from your legs to your brain and vice-versa that can you hope for some plasticity in your brain.
The device is not portable and is used in physiotherapy clinics. It helps the stroke patients walk on a treadmill and improves the brain signals needed for a proper walk. The device developed by these scientists in the Netherlands can be configured to do all the walking or to just provide support to the patient.
Dr. Edwin van Asseldonk said that he thought older people in the future might just wear an exoskeleton when they're going around so they can keep pace with the grandchildren. He added that devices like this could keep people mobile for longer.