Patients with spinal cord injuries in the U.S. can now try a new robotic treatment. It has been shown to help people walk better. Brooks Rehabilitation, a leader in post-acute physical rehab, announced the news on March 2, 2018. For this, it has partnered with CYBERDYNE, INC., a Japanese medical and social innovation company.
The FDA-cleared system is called HAL, short for Hybrid Assistive Limb. It is the first advanced robotic device of its kind in the world. Patients can use it at the Brooks Cybernic Treatment Center in Jacksonville, Florida. For now, it is the only place in the country that offers it.
Dr. Geneva Tonuzi is the center’s medical director. She said several clinics abroad have already seen spinal cord injury patients move and walk better with the technology. She said her team was thrilled to bring it to Brooks, because it opens the way to more research and new treatment methods.
Before reaching the U.S., HAL was already in use in Japan, Germany and other countries. It fits onto the patient’s legs and trunk and runs on signals from the patient’s own body. That sets this powered exoskeleton apart from others, since its movements follow the patient’s own intention. A biofeedback device also lets patients see the signals they produce and adjust them. As a result, linking nerve pathways with technology marks a major step forward for these patients nationwide.
The idea behind HAL belongs to Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai, president and CEO of Cyberdyne and a professor at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. He described wearing HAL as a fusion of human, robot and information systems. He also said he was pleased that U.S. patients could now benefit, both in walking ability and in other physical functions.
Patients treated at the center can choose to share their data for clinical trials. Those trials will then look further at the benefits of HAL and at ways to improve it.
Brooks Rehabilitation has served the Southeast for more than 45 years. The Jacksonville nonprofit runs one of the largest inpatient rehab hospitals in the U.S., with 160 beds. It also operates a large home health agency, 32 outpatient clinics, a medical group, skilled nursing units, assisted living and memory care. Each year, thanks to this network, it treats about 45,000 patients. In addition, its Clinical Research Center studies stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury. Its community programs, such as the Brooks Clubhouse, Brooks Aphasia Center and Brooks Adaptive Sports and Recreation, are free or low-cost.
Cyberdyne began in 2004 as a venture company from the University of Tsukuba. It develops Cybernic systems for medicine, welfare and daily life, including work settings. Its main product, Robot Suit HAL, is used in medical, welfare, care and labor support. The company is also working on AI-equipped transport and cleaning robots, a lumbar version of HAL, a single-joint HAL and vital sensors that detect arteriosclerosis and arrhythmia.
Cybernics is a new field of study championed by Professor Sankai. It is built around cybernetics, mechatronics and informatics, combined with brain science, robotics, biology, psychology, law, ethics and business administration.