Lightweight robotic exoskeleton approved for human use

The Indego lightweight robotic exoskeleton has received approval from the FDA and now ready for human use. The device, which is 26 pounds and designed to be easy to put on and take off from a wheelchair, was tested in an extensive clinical trial, assessing its safety on a variety of indoor and outdoor surfaces.

“It is particularly gratifying because it is the first thing that has come out of my lab that has become a product that people can purchase, which hopefully will make a significant improvement in their quality of life,” Vanderbilt engineering professor Michael Goldfarb said in a statement.

Indego is strapped tightly around the torso, with rigid supports attaching to the hip, knee, and foot.

Read also: Snapchat possibly developing smart glasses

Battery-powered, computer-controlled electric motors drive the joints, and the wearer navigates the device similar to a Segway, according to the engineers. Lean forward and the exoskeleton walks forward, lean back for a while and it will sit down.

Indego, which has been available in Europe since November, is the second exoskeleton to gain FDA approval in the U.S. The first, ReWalk was approved in 2014. Indego’s selling point is its weight–almost 20 pounds lighter than ReWalk–and its functional electrical stimulation, which sends little electrical pulses to the paralyzed muscles.

Those pulses could help lessen muscle atrophy and improve circulation. Now, Parker Hannifin, the manufacturer, needs to show that the device can reduce the secondary medical conditions often caused by lower-body paralysis, in order to convince insurance companies to cover the $80,000 device.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans a commercial launch for Indego in the U.S. “in the coming months.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now