Researchers at University of Michigan have developed a new device which they describe as a “robotic exoskeleton controlled by the wearer’s own nervous system”. This could help the people who are suffering from partial nervous system impairment as they could regain limb function. Though the U-M team have no plans to commercialize the device but they claim that their results put forward hopeful applications for rehabilitation and physical therapy.
How it works:
The electrodes were attached to the wearer’s leg and those electrical signals received from the brain were translated into movement by the exoskeleton. When the computer gets the electrical signal from the (wearer’s) muscle, it increases the air pressure into the artificial muscle on the brace. Initially the wearer’s gait was disrupted but in a relatively short time, the wearers adapted to the new strength and used their muscles less because the exoskeleton was doing more of the work.
Though we won’t be able to see the commercialized robotic exoskeleton, the findings will certainly open the doors for new innovations in rehabilitation and physical therapy.
