TECHNOLOGY WATCH
Manual Standing Wheelchair
The Center for Bionic Medicine has developed an innovative manual standing wheelchair. It allows manual wheelchairs users the ability to propel the wheelchair while seated or standing, or in the full range of positions in between. The wheelchair is designed with unique tank tread-like push bars so users can manually drive the wheelchair. A lap belt and knee restraint keep users safely positioned during use.
Aside from the obvious increased independence that standing offers, users can also interact with others eyeto-eye.
There may be physical benefits as well. It may:
• reduce the risk of osteoporosis, muscle spasticity, and contractures;
• help to relieve or prevent pressure wounds; and
• improve cardiovascular, digestive, and renal function.
The chair is not available for purchase yet but is currently being refined and evaluated at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab( formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), which is the home of the Midwest Regional
Spinal Cord Injury Care System. The hope is that the wheelchair will be commercialized in the near future.
ARKE Exoskeleton
Exoskeletons have been around for a while now. In fact, they were first noted as a“ walking aid device” in Tech Watch back in 2007. Although the technology has advanced over the last decade, exoskeletons have yet to make it into mainstream use.
The ARKE Exoskeleton is a good example of those advances in technology. The second generation prototype is light, powerful, efficient, and perhaps most importantly, able to achieve a comfortable and natural walking gait.
But that’ s only part of the story. Most powered exoskeletons need guidance from the user, or a rehab specialist, regarding what it is expected to do. Be it fully supporting a walk, or just assisting with staying upright, the exoskeleton can only do something if it’ s directed to do a specific task, and that is usually done by pressing buttons on a device.
The ARKE exoskeleton now has Amazon’ s Alexa Voice Service integrated into it. This means it can now switch between different modes with voice commands. For example, saying“ Alexa, I’ m ready to walk” immediately engages the exoskeleton to follow that command.
The ARKE exoskeleton is a powered hip-knee exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation. It is being developed by the Bionik Laboratories Corporation. The ARKE is designed to utilize machine learning and analytics to improve neurological rehabilitation. This is done with the help of a collaboration of IBM and their IBM Cloud technology. Data collected while using the ARKE is processed by IBM’ s Cognitive Computing Infrastructure in addition to using sophisticated machine learning algorithms.
The purpose is to use the analytical data to find a correlation between rehabilitation regiments and the effectiveness of neurological rehabilitation.
Design goals:
• Hip-Knee powered exoskeleton
• Provide gait rehabilitation
• Provide secondary effects
• Improved circulation
• Reduction in loss of bone density
• Improved bowel and bladder function
• Improved mental health
• Improved sleep quality
• Collect and analyze data using IBM cloud
• Integrated tablet control
• Carbon fiber, aluminum, and steel construction
The ARKE is still in clinical development but is expected to soon be in rehabilitation facilities. Hopefully, physicians will one day prescribe it for a patient to use at home.
4 uab. edu / sci