The Vanderbilt exoskeleton, marketed as Indego, is a

powered exoskeleton An exoskeleton is a wearable device that augments, enables, assists, or enhances motion, posture, or physical activity through mechanical interaction with and force applied to the user’s body. Other common names for a wearable exoskeleton in ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. It is intended to assist

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

victims and other paralyzed or semi-paralyzed people to walk independently. Motion and control technologies manufacturer

Parker Hannifin Parker-Hannifin Corporation, originally Parker Appliance Company, usually referred to as just Parker, is an American corporation specializing in motion and control technologies. Its corporate headquarters are in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, in Greater ...

is funding further development, and plans to release the first commercial version of the exoskeleton in 2015.

Rationale

In 2012, there were estimated to be over 270,000 Americans with long-term

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...

injuries, of whom around 21 percent suffer from complete paraplegia. The lifetime cost of care and lost productivity for each paraplegic ranges from US$1.4 million to $2.2 million. However, since the late 2000s,

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

and battery technology have become sufficiently advanced to make wearable walking assistance devices viable.

Design

The Vanderbilt exoskeleton weighs and can support users weighing up to . It is strapped to the user's legs, and uses an onboard computer to detect the user's movements, which are then supported and amplified by battery-powered motors in the exoskeleton's hip and knee joints. It also uses

functional electrical stimulation Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a technique that uses low-energy electrical pulses to artificially generate body movements in individuals who have been paralyzed due to injury to the central nervous system. More specifically, FES ca ...

to enervate the muscles of paralyzed patients, improving their strength and circulation, and can be quickly disassembled for removal. It can be used interchangeably with a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

, and can be donned without assistance, allowing disabled individuals significantly greater independence. It is compact enough for a person to sit in a normal chair without needing to remove the exoskeleton.

Development

Vanderbilt University began testing its exoskeleton with paraplegics and medical experts at a rehabilitation center in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, in 2010. In October 2012, Parker Hannifin signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Vanderbilt University for the right to develop and manufacture a commercial version of the exoskeleton, which it plans to release under the name Indego. Whereas current commercial exoskeletons can cost as much as $140,000, Parker Hannifin hopes to exploit its manufacturing capabilities and the Vanderbilt model's lightweight design to ensure that the Indego is significantly cheaper. In March 2014, Parker Hannifin entered into clinical trial agreements for the exoskeleton with several major medical rehabilitation centres. In December 2014, Parker Hannifin invested in Freedom Innovations, a California-based prosthetic technology company with which it had a pre-existing partnership, to further the development of Indego. Following regulatory approval, Parker Hannifin plans to release Indego in Europe in 2015 and in the United States in 2016.

References

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External links

Center for Intelligent MechatronicsIndego Exoskeleton
via Parker Hannifin website
2012 YouTube video of the exoskeleton in action
Assistive technology Mobility devices Robotic exoskeletons Vanderbilt University American inventions 2012 robots

Rationale

Design

Development

See also

References

External links