Rex Robotic Legs Allow Paraplegics to Walk Again

We posted a story last February about the ReWalk system, a device invented by an Israeli company Argo Medical Technologies, Ltd. that enables paraplegics to walk again. When I was watching the Belgian news on the Internet yesterday, which I do occasionally to keep in touch with what’s going on in the country where I was born, another walking device for paraplegics was featured. Hayden Allen from New Zealand, a paraplegic as a result of a motorcycle accident, showed off a pair of robotic legs that help paraplegics walk again. It caught my attention and I decided to investigate the system some more.

The product is called Rex, an abbreviation for robotic exoskeleton, and was designed by two New Zealand inventors who claim these are the world’s first robotic legs allowing paraplegics to walk again. The battery-powered device weighs 84 pounds and is joystick operated. It enables its user to climb up and down stairs or slopes, sit, stand, and step forwards, backwards and sideways. Users simply transfer from their wheelchair into Rex, strap themselves in and start walking by controlling their movements with a joystick and a control pad.

Rex offers a lot of benefits in terms of mobility, improved social interaction and self-image. I have experienced that myself as a C5/C6 quadriplegic who uses a standing wheelchair. Just to be able to talk to people at eye level again is a major boost to your self-esteem. And it’s very likely that there are also long-term health and quality-of-life benefits through reducing the complications of being in a wheelchair all the time.

It is expected that the product will go on sale by the end of 2010, but only in New Zealand at first. The rest of the world will have to wait till the middle of 2011. Unfortunately the initial estimated $150,000 price tag will be prohibitive for a lot of prospects suffering from paralysis, but it is expected to go down when the product becomes available in larger quantities. At least it is nice to know that another technological advancement has been made towards improving the lives of people who are paralyzed.

It seems as if Rex is a realistic standing and walking alternative to wheelchairs, at least for some paraplegics. You can find out more information about these bionic legs at Rex Bionics.

You can also watch a demonstration of Rex by 23-year-old Hayden Allen, the first paraplegic to benefit from this amazing product, by watching the following video.