Father designed robotic exoskeleton to make son walk again

The father of a young man with a genetic neurological disease that prevents him from walking has built a exoskeleton who is voice commands, so that you can move in and out of the wheelchair.

The positive point of this action is that in addition to making Oscar Constanza, her son, walk again, the model had many interested parties, because unlike other models, that leaves your hands free, which is considered a real innovation in the field.

The father, named Jean-Louis Constanza, who was in charge of the project and the assembly, is a French engineer who, for years, has specialized in robotics and is also one of the founders of the firm Wandercraft.

The 16-year-old suffers from a genetic neurological disease that causes your nerves are not sending enough electrical signals to your legs, which prevents you from moving your feet.

And what seemed obvious now was not when the young man was ten years old. “One day, Oscar said to me ‘since you are a robotics engineer, why don’t you make a costume that allows me to walk’?” Recalls Jean-Louis.

For five years, performed tests with a prototype of the structure in patients from different rehabilitation clinics. After achieving complete freedom of movement for people with total trunk and lower limb paralysis, they adjusted the design to create a self-balancing exoskeleton, which they named Atalanta.

One of the advantages of the self-balancing exoskeleton is that it is designed for intuitive use. That is to say, sessions are optimized and preparation times are reduced, so that the focus is entirely on therapy.

Rigid but stable

To preserve the rigidity of the structure, without having to tie the hands to the frame, the expert succeeded in attaching the skeleton to the shoulders, chest, waist, knees and feet of the young man.

The attraction of this robotic equipment is that it has voice recognition functions. To the command “Robot, get up” the frame attached to his body rises and begins with the first steps.

“I used to need someone to help me walk, but it makes me feel independent,” Oscar admits.

The design was so successful that it sold dozens of units to hospitals in France, Luxembourg and the United States, for around $ 176,000 per unit.

The firm does not have an exoskeleton for personal use, since the current one has a weight and volume not recommended for moving around homes or other spaces that are not hospitals.

However, the founders are working on a version that adapts to the needs of all people with motor disabilities and can be left next to their bed.

Exoskeletons have certain qualities that help therapists and people with disabilities improve their movements. In addition, it allows users to move the trunk and legs without having to use their hands or other elements.

Many companies make exoskeletons, competing to make them the lightest and most comfortable. Some focus on helping people with disabilities to walk, others on helping people factory workers have greater resistance in their arms and legs.