Exoskeleton Training at Home to Assist Participants With Spinal Cord Injuries to Perform Ambulatory Functions.

Details

The ABLE Daily Exoskeleton is a wearable powered lower-limb exoskeleton that actively assists individuals with spinal cord injury to stand up, walk, ascend and descend a ramp of 5 degrees and sit down. The device consists of a rigid brace that attaches to the torso, legs and feet of the user via straps and supports. It is a bilateral robotic exoskeleton with four battery-powered motors that drive the knee and hip joints assisting in flexion-extension. The other degrees of freedom of the hip and knee joints are restricted. The ankle joint of the exoskeleton is passively articulated with a spring within a limited range of motion. The experimental period will cover the training period happening at the investigational site where the participants and their companions will be trained 3 times a week. They will then have to perform a community skills test, if passed they will be allowed to take the exoskeleton home and use it in their daily life for 12 weeks. Pre and post assessments will be made.