restore our dignity? hhhmph! how insulting!

Tamar Magenta Raine
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IM; tamarmag48
Oakland Mayor's Commission on People with disabilities


> [Original Message]
> From: Meir Weiss <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 7/5/2004 3:50:30 AM
> Subject: The End of the Wheelchair Monopoly
>
> The End of the Wheelchair Monopoly
> New Medical Device to Restore Upright Mobility
>  =20
> Using a combination of motors and sensors, ReWalk will enable people
> with lower limb disabilities to stand, walk and climb stairs again, says
> Dr. Amit Goffer, CEO of Argo Medical Technologies.
>  =20
> Last December, after seven years of confinement to a wheelchair,
> Shabtai, was able to take a few steps again. The former athlete who
> broke his neck in a car accident was once more mobile thanks to =
> ReWalk=D4,
> a product that promises to restore upright mobility for paraplegics,
> quadriplegics and others suffering from walking impairments.
>
> ``We aim to end the 200-year monopoly of the wheelchair,`` says Dr. Amit
> Goffer, the CEO and founder of Argo Medical Technologies, the company
> that is developing ReWalk=D4. The device uses a combination of motors =
> and
> sensors to enable people with lower limb disabilities to carry out
> routine ambulatory functions such as standing, walking and climbing
> stairs. ``The device promises to restore the dignity of disabled
> persons, enabling them to work and improve their general health and
> quality of life, as well as significantly reduce medical and other
> related expenses, ``says Goffer.
>
>
> The product is in the prototype stage but Goffer feels that upon
> completion of fund-raising the company could have a product on the
> market within 4 years.
>
> Dr. Goffer, an electronics engineer, already has a proven track record
> as an entrepreneur. He is the founder of Odin Medical, the developer of
> a mini-MRI imaging device which enables brain surgeons to conduct
> real-time brain scans in the operating room.=20
>
> ``Before I came up with the idea for both the mini-MRI and ReWalk=D4, I
> was puzzled by the question of why each product didn`t already exist as
> each meets such an obvious and large need,`` says Goffer.
>
> In the case of ReWalk=D4, the need is reflected in the number of
> individuals confined to wheelchairs which in the US alone is about two
> million.
>
>
>
> The ReWalk=D4 is a light, wearable brace support suit which comprises DC
> motors at the joints, rechargeable batteries, an array of sensors and a
> computer-based control system. ``Similar to the recently-developed
> Segway, when the user indicates he or she wants to move in a certain
> direction, the sensors recognize this and the user is able to move at
> will,``explains Goffer.
> ``Also, it`s important to point out that because the ReWalk=D4 is snugly
> fitted on the body and worn underneath the clothing, it also helps the
> users avoid the type of visible stigma that a wheelchair user faces,``he
> adds.=20
> Unlike other products being developed, the novelty of ReWalk=D4 is in =
> the
> unique manner in which the user is actively involved in the
> walk-restoration and other mobility functions, through the control
> processes. Utilizing sophisticated algorithms, upper-body motions are
> analyzed and used to trigger and maintain walk (gait) patterns and other
> modes of operation (such as transition from sitting to standing),
> leaving the hands free for self support and/or other functions.=20
>
> Goffer is confident that ReWalk=D4 will enable many people with
> disabilities to enter or return to the workforce. He points out that
> this benefit to society, as reflected in the US gross national product
> averages $120,000 per year for each working person. ``But of course it`s
> more than a dollar and cents issue, ``says Goffer. ``When Shabtai tried
> out the prototype there were tears in his eyes and in the eyes of
> everyone else present. It was a breathtaking experience to see him able
> to physically express himself again.``
>  =20
> =20
>
> Published on http://www.bioisrael.com=20
> Copyright 2003 by BioIsrael Communications Ltd.=20
> All rights reserved=20
>
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