The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has acquired its second Ekso GT, a robotic exoskeleton that enables individuals with lower extremity paralysis or weakness to stand and walk.
The battery-powered Ekso GT allows individuals with lower extremity paralysis to walk over ground with a fully weight bearing, reciprocal gait, according to a press release. Mechanical advancements in the Ekso GT include easy adjustment capability between patients, releasable hip and thigh joints to provide patients with appropriate strength and motor function more freedom, adjustable foot stiffness and ankle support to enable a more stable gait and a new composite foot design that encourages improved weight shifts.
The advanced Ekso GT software includes a feature for turning in place and the ability to adjust software settings while patients are walking.
“The results we’ve seen using the previous Ekso among our stroke and spinal cord injured patients have demonstrated we have every reason to embrace and explore this technology further,” W. Zev Rymer, MD, PhD, vice president of research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, stated in the release. “This is an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of this incredibly innovative technology helping to improve outcomes for our patients.”
