When Hayden Allen of New Zealand suffered a spinal cord injury in a motorbike accident five years ago, doctors told him he'd never walk again. But today a revolutionary product developed by a New Zealand biotech company has enabled him to do just that, reports The Daily Mail..
Allen has been one of the first people in the world to use Rex, the Robotic Exoskeleton - a pair of robotic legs that supports and assists a person who usually uses a wheelchair. It lets them stand, walk and go up and down steps and slopes.
‘I'll never forget what it was like to see my feet walking under me the first time I used Rex,' said Allen. ‘People say to me, "Look up when you're walking" but I just can't stop staring down at my feet moving.'
Rex users move from their chair into Rex, strap themselves in and control their movements using a joystick and control pad. The equipment weighs 38kg and is individually made for each user.
It is powered by a lightweight, long-life rechargeable battery. Allen, a mechanic, also spoke of how liberated he felt around his workshop as he now has far more access to machinery - and he can finally talk to people at eye level again.
Dr Richard Roxburgh, Auckland neurologist and medical adviser to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, said: ‘For many of my patients, Rex represents the first time they've been able to stand up and walk for years.
‘There are obvious immediate benefits in terms of mobility, improved social interaction and self-image. There are also likely to be major long-term health and quality of life benefits through reducing the complications of being in a wheelchair all the time. I think that this will also enable people to stay well longer; this means that those who have conditions where disease-modifying treatments are coming over the next five to ten years will be in better shape when those treatments finally arrive.'
Each Rex battery-powered machine will last for one day's typical use.
Potential customers must complete a medical appraisal including checks with their own doctor to ensure their general health and suitability before they can begin the process of fitting and training.
Rex is expected to cost about $150,000 (£98,000).
CEO of Rex Bionics, Jenny Morel, says they expect to conclude internal testing of Rex shortly and will then have a preliminary release in Auckland, New Zealand to allow the company to track what happens when people take Rex home.
Sales are expected to commence in New Zealand by the end of 2010 and elsewhere in the world by the middle of 2011.
