The Spanish National Research Council has introduced the world’s first child-exoskeleton for spinal muscular atrophy. It can help children to walk and aims to prevent the setting in of sclerosis which results from a loss of agility.
Weighing 12 kilos, the apparatus is made of aluminium and titanium. The brace consists of long support rods, or orthoses, which are adjusted to fit around the child’s legs and torso. In the joints, a series of motors mimic human muscles and give the child the necessary strength to stand upright and walk. Finally, a series of sensors, a movement controller, and a battery with five hours of life complete the system.
“The number one drawback in developing this type of paediatric exoskeleton is that the symptoms of neuromuscular illnesses- such as spinal muscular atrophy- change over time, as much in the articulations as in the body," said Elena Garcia, from the Automatics and Robotics Centre at the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
"That’s why it’s fundamental to have an exoskeleton capable of independently adapting to these changes. Our model includes intelligent joints which alter the brace’s rigidity automatically and adapt to the symptoms of each individual child at whenever required.”
Spinal muscular atrophy is one of the most serious degenerative neuromuscular diseases in children and, although it is rare, it results in high rates of mortality in the babies and children it affects. It is of genetic origin and causes progressive general muscular weakness. This loss of strength leaves the child unable to walk allowing more drastic side-effects to set in, such as scoliosis and osteoporosis- which also cause lung disfunction, jeopardising the child’s survival.
The technology, which has been patented and licensed jointly by CSIC (the Spanish National Research Council) and its technology-based business unit, Marsi Bionics, is currently in the preclinical phase.
[Five-year-old spinal muscular atrophy sufferer, Alvaro, walks to his parents during a test of the exoskeleton. Photo: Joan Costa/CSIC]