Exoskeleton Lets Paraplegics Walk Away From Wheelchairs

One of the goals of medical device designers and engineers is to invent an exoskeleton that will allow those who are paralyzed to walk again. That reality is coming true, but the exoskeletons are still very expensive at this stage. One of the least expensive exoskeletons on the market is this Phoenix system made by a company called SuitX.

The Phoenix weighs in at 27 pounds and sells for about $40,000, the price of a nice new car. It's not designed to make the wearer as fast and functional as an average person, but it's better than being confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of their lives.

The Phoenix allows the wearer to walk at 1.1 mph on level ground. The user needs to have crutches or a walker to balance themselves while moving. The big benefit of the Phoenix device is despite the still high price tag, it's about 2-4 times cheaper than competing devices and its one of the lightest exoskeletons out there.

Phoenix designers took inspiration from biomechanics rather than industrial robot construction. The Phoenix was designed to mimic the human body with joints that use little energy. The only driving motors in the exoskeleton are at the hip joints. The hips swing forward when the user hits a forward button on the crutches. Designers hope that economy of scale will eventually bring the cost down to the realm of a cheap car or motorcycle.

SOURCE: Fastcodesign