ReWalk System Helps Paraplegics Walk Again

Being able to stand up as a quadriplegic thanks to today’s standing wheelchair technologies has provided me with a lot of health and emotional benefits (See my story about Using a Standing Wheelchair). However, the Rewalk device invented by an Israeli company Argo Medical Technologies, Ltd. takes it literally a step further. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be able to walk and even climb stairs again after being confined to a wheelchair for many years as a paraplegic?

Wearing a backpack device and braces on their legs, paraplegics can select a desired activity such as standing up or walking with a remote control. A sensor on the chest determines the torso’s angle and guides the legs to move forward or backward to maintain balance. The device basically does the walking for you.

Once approved by the FDA, many wheelchair users with sufficient upper body strength and mobility will be able to take advantage of this exciting new product and this will definitely give them a new perspective on life. Based on what I have read, the product is expected to become available some time in 2010 with a price tag of $20,000 (but don’t quote me on that).

Even though I won’t qualify for using the ReWalk product myself due to my high spinal cord injury as a quadriplegic, I am happy to know that many paraplegics’ quality of life is likely to improve with this walking device.

You can find more info about the ReWalk at Argo’s Website or simply by watching this Very Cool Video.