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Robotic exoskeletons are finding new uses in hospitals and workplaces across Spain. The wearable devices are helping wheelchair users practice walking again and also reducing the physical demands of lifting heavy equipment.
Strapping into a robotic exoskeleton is now a very normal treatment option in the country for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological disorders.
At Quirónsalud Bizkaia Hospital in northern Spain, rehabilitation specialists are using wearable robotic devices designed to help patients stand up and retrain walking patterns that may have been lost after injury or illness.
What looks like a robotic suit is actually a powered lower-limb exoskeleton called HANK. Developed by Spanish robotics company GOGOA, the device attaches around the legs and waist and uses motorized joints at the hips, knees, and ankles to help movement. The exoskeleton weighs around 20 kilograms and contains electric motors that generate movement at each joint.
Therapists can adjust walking speed, step length, and support levels depending on a patient’s condition.
In a demonstration, physician Sara Garcia helps a colleague into the device before activating it. As the exoskeleton powers up, the user rises from a wheelchair into a standing position before taking assisted steps across the room.
Garcia says, “The exoskeleton we have behind us is a walking exoskeleton that assists the patient in the three main joints of the lower limb: hip, knee, and ankle. What it does for the patient is generate a natural walking pattern where the patient can walk. This is done along with a technical aid that can be provided to them, always supervised in a clinical environment.”
The device is designed for rehabilitation rather than transport. Instead of carrying someone from place to place, it repeatedly guides the body through the mechanics of walking.
Rehabilitation therapists say that repetition is important because it helps patients practice coordinated movement patterns following neurological injury.
Garcia explains, “We can gradually recover their way of walking through the exoskeleton. The patient can move around the room knowing they are moving as they should and correcting those minor anomalies they might have due to their medical diagnosis.”
This article was provided by The Associated Press.