Robotics May Change The Future With Spinal-Cord Injury Victims

It sounds like something out of a Science Fiction movie, but it could be the very thing that will change the lives of nearly 250,000 Americans living with a spinal-cord injury.

The development of robotics and computer microchips are offering new possibilities to help patients move around and become more independent than any other invention has before.

One of the newest products is ReWalk. This new motorized exoskeleton is a new revolutionary product designed to help immobilized people walk again. The patient wears a small computer and a remote control on their wrist to give commands to the suit, telling it to stand, sit, walk, etc. The feedback is received from motion sensors at the joints.

ReWalk has shown great results on the select few that have been being used as “test-drivers.” These patients have had neck or back injuries, causing them paralysis in the spinal-cord. In just a few try outs, patients have been greatly changed by the new technology.

Another revolutionary product is the Tongue Drive System. It’s an operating system that works through a tiny magnet piercing the tongue. Tongue Drive System is geared for patients who are paralyzed and have no use of their arms and legs, making it nearly impossible to move a wheelchair.

The Tongue Drive System works by the patient touching different teeth to send commands through a headset to be processed by a smartphone. For example, to initiate a “right command”, they would hit their tooth on the right side with just a tap of the tongue.

For people who are in a wheelchair, this new technology is incredible. The potential it has to change lives is tremendous and most patients are anxiously waiting for the products to be launched.

The ReWalk is currently approved to be used in rehabilitation centers and is expected be ready for consumers in 2012.

Currently, a clinical trial is under way for patients to test the Tongue Drive System in their own homes.

It is unclear to tell right now if the products are completely safe to use, though they have been FDA approved. Only time will tell if this is the first in a brand new wave of robotic products, or if they are, in fact, too good to be true.

If you or anyone you know has had a spinal-cord injury, contact the attorneys at V&B for free information and a free evaluation on how we may help.