ReWalk is a commercial

bionic Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 19 ...

walking assistance system that uses powered leg attachments to enable

paraplegics Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in Motor control, motor or Sensory nervous system, sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congen ...

to stand upright, walk and climb stairs."A Human Exoskeleton"
''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2013. The system is powered by a backpack battery, and is controlled by a simple wrist-mounted remote which detects and enhances the user's movements. Designed in Yokneam,

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, by Amit Goffer, the ReWalk is marketed by Lifeward Ltd., and is priced at approximately US$85,000 per unit."ReWalk Robotic Exoskeletons Let Paraplegics Walk Again"
Technabob.com. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012. The device underwent

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s at MossRehab in suburban

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

."Pa. Hospital 1st In US To Test Walking Device"

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2013. In July 2014, ReWalk Robotics filed for an American

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

that could raise up to US$58 million. The company is listed on the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...

under the symbol "LFWD"."ReWalk Robotics Files for IPO"
''Wall Street Journal''. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.

Versions

At the time of its initial release, ReWalk was available in two versions – the ReWalk I and the ReWalk P. The ReWalk I is used by medical institutions for research or therapy to be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional. The ReWalk P is for personal use by patients at home or in public. An updated version, ReWalk Rehabilitation 2.0, was released in January 2013. The ReWalk 2.0 featured improved sizing for taller individuals and some enhancement in controlling software.

Operation

The ReWalk system weighs approximately ; the backpack containing the system's

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

-operated computer and battery weighs around , and the robotic leg attachments weigh around . The user can engage in three modes: walking, sitting, and standing. The signals to these modes are sent via a wrist-watch type device to the computer.

Users

The first clinical trial for The ReWalk was held at MossRehab located in Philadelphia in 2009. The ReWalk was approved for hospital use in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) in 2011."'Rewalk' bionic legs get FDA approval"
. News.com.au. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2012. FDA approval for home and public use was issued in June 2014.
Technabob.com. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012."FDA approves Israeli ReWalk robotic exoskeleton technology"
Israelbizreg.com. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014. ReWalk is also the first exoskeleton to receive FDA clearance for personal and rehabilitation use in the United States. In 2010, a prototype ReWalk appeared in the American TV series ''

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

''; the exoskeleton is used by fictional character

Artie Abrams Arthur "Artie" Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'' portrayed as the "glue" of the glee club. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and appeared in ''Glee'' since its pilot episode, first ...

during the Season 2 episode " A Very Glee Christmas". On 8 May 2012, paralyzed

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

woman Claire Lomas became the first person to finish a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

using a bionic assistance suit. Lomas, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2007 riding accident, completed the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

in 17 days with her ReWalk system. Later in 2012, Lomas became the first person to take the ReWalk suit home for assistance with everyday tasks, and participated in the opening ceremony of the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...

in her ReWalk. By 2015, Japanese robotics maker Yaskawa Electric Co. has been distributing ReWalk in Asia, i.e. China, under a deal signed in 2014 with ReWalk Robotics. However, in Japan itself ReWalk faces a long approval process that is typical for Japanese businesses. This is due to tight regulation laws in Japan that has been in effect for the last decade.

Criticisms

The weight and bulk of the ReWalk exoskeleton is considered to be too much for some users by its creator, Amit Goffer. In addition, with a price of between US$69,500 to US$85,000, the system is beyond the reach of many patients, especially because, as of July 2014,

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

in the United States does not yet cover the ReWalk. Larry Jasinski, the CEO of ReWalk, stated in 2014 that the company is "working with insurers and other health-care coverage providers to ensure individuals eligible to use the ReWalk are able to purchase a system".

References

External links

*
Video: ReWalk exoskeleton helps paraplegics walk
via

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