Innovations: Regaining your gait

The ReWalk robotic suit's advanced motion sensors and on-board computers allow people previously confined to wheelchairs to walk upright.

By MEREDITH PRICE LEVITT
robowalk 224.88 (photo credit: )
robowalk 224.88
(photo credit: )
It has been said that necessity is the mother of all invention. For Dr. Amit Goffer, both the inventor of a quasi-robotic device called ReWalk that helps many disabled walk again and a quadriplegic, the idiom doesn't apply. "Let's be clear. I created this device and founded this company because it was a good business opportunity," he says matter-of-factly, slowly pulling his wheelchair closer to the table to stir a small flask of warm milk into his coffee. In fact, his innovative new exoskeleton cannot help him walk again. ReWalk is only accessible to paraplegics who have good use of both arms and shoulders, a healthy cardiovascular system and good bone density. Goffer, who has a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Drexel University in Pennsylvania and studied at the Technion, started investigating the possibilities for building a device that would help the disabled walk again in 1999, two years after an accident left him a quadriplegic. "When you see a disabled person, you look the other way," he says. "I did that too. But this company is based on a business opportunity that I seized. The market is huge." According to Uri Attir, CEO of Argo Medical Technologies, the company developing the ReWalk, there are around 125,000 paraplegics in the United States who are candidates for using ReWalk, and the growth rate is between 5 percent and 10 % every year. "This high growth rate is due to better emergency medicine in the treatment of motor vehicle accidents," he explains. "Modern medicine does a better job of keeping people alive, but unfortunately they survive at a price." The concept has been around for decades. But until recently, wearing an external suit to capitalize on superhuman strength has been either science-fiction fodder or the stuff of comic-book legend. Thanks to modern technology, Goffer was able to turn the idea into a feasible product that has the potential to help millions of people walk, stand, sit, drive and even go up and down stairs. Researching the design and building a working model in what he calls a "garage operation" took Goffer many years, and the first ReWalk prototype wasn't unveiled until 2006 at a robotics rehabilitation conference. "There was real disbelief that it could work," he says. "But the timing is partially responsible for the success. Without the technology that allows us to achieve greater energy storage per battery and the ability to build it faster and cheaper, it would not be feasible." The ReWalk robotic suit has advanced motion sensors and on-board computers which, in conjunction with the user's crutches and input signals, allow people previously confined to wheelchairs to walk upright. Aside from the obvious benefits of restoring dignity, improving independence, increasing mobility and ameliorating quality of life, the ReWalk has great economic advantages for health care systems. "People who are confined to a wheelchair often suffer from complications that lead to rehospitalization, such as pressure sores on their skin, urinary and urological infections and respiratory problems," says Attir. "The ReWalk has the added benefit of putting them in an upright position and providing them with the rehabilitating therapy. This could save health care providers billions of dollars a year in the United States alone." Although it costs more than many cars, at around $20,000, the ReWalk is comparable in price to high-end motorized wheelchairs. "It's less than a lot of prosthetics," Attir says, pointing out that prosthetic arms and legs can reach upwards of $50,000. The ReWalk is currently undergoing clinical trials at the Sheba Medical Center with Dr. Gabi Zeilig, the head of the neurological department, and Argo plans to start major clinical trials in the US at the beginning of next year. Once those are complete, they hope to get FDA approval for the ReWalk device and start selling to the general public by 2010. But although they have a few hurdles left to overcome, the interest in ReWalk has already been astounding. More than 100,000 people have seen the promotional video on YouTube since it was posted in the summer of 2008, and Attir says he has received hundreds of inquiries by e-mail from people all over the world who want to participate in the clinical trials. Attir, who has a prosthetic arm from a military injury in 1975, says that his personal handicap is a coincidence but often confuses people. "Sometimes when I arrive at a business meeting, they don't know whether I am the buyer or the seller," he says, chuckling at the memory. The eight-person team at ReWalk includes representation from three religions and at least five ethnic origins. Just as Attir finishes his statement about not discriminating, Goffer smiles mischievously and says, "I discriminate. I like the other sex." The pair agree that having a good sense of humor is essential to living with a handicap. With the introduction of ReWalk, they are hoping to make life even easier. "People shouldn't have to live with their handicaps," says Attir. "Science and technology today can play a large role in helping with the mobility and functionality of day to day life." For those confined to a wheelchair, technology that enables them to walk again is nothing short of miraculous. www.argomedtec.com Their video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQRQs-N-ZIM