Mike and Mag,

When I first saw the article about the "mobility suit" or whatever
they're calling it, my reaction was "Great; somebody else trying to
"fix" me by turning me into an android.  I wonder how much PT adults
would have to go through to get our cardiac capacity to the level we
could even survive using the thing.   


Kendall Corbett

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

-----Original Message-----
From: Tamar Raine [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 11:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [C-PALSY] The End of the Wheelchair Monopoly

restore our dignity? hhhmph! how insulting!

Tamar Magenta Raine
[log in to unmask]

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
>
> =20
> =20
>
> Print this page  =20
> close window=20