A man named Danny Bal was riding his motorcycle in the city of Ocala, when a driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into him. Bal was left critically injured, but Cyberdyne’s HAL exoskeleton is now giving him and tons of other patients hope in regaining their mobility. This particular exoskeleton works by stabilizing patients who have spinal cord injuries as they walk on a treadmill system with two different tracks. It helps simulate a natural walking experience that they otherwise would not be able to achieve.
Key Takeaways:
- One of the patients who utilized this exoskeleton was Danny Bal who was in a serious motorcycle accident that impacted his thoracic vertebrae.
- The Brooks rehabilitation center was the first facility to administer the use of these exoskeletons.
- The exoskeleton partially works by two harnesses stabilizing the patient over two treadmill tracks.
“Encouraged by the results they’ve seen so far, the Brooks staff plans to help Cyberdyne bring HAL to five more hospitals in the United States this year. Brooks is currently finalizing contracts to host and train visiting staff from those hospitals at their Jacksonville facility.”