Good Shepherd Rehabilitation is the first clinical user of robotic exoskeleton technology to make history at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Good Shepherd said the hands-free device is designed to help stroke and spinal cord injury patients walk.
Good Shepherd’s specially trained clinical teams have tested the technology, known as Wandercraft’s Atalante X, with inpatient rehabilitation patients in Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in 3200 Center Valley Parkway in Center Valley.
Later this fall, Good Shepherd said, the exoskeleton will be available to outpatient neurorehabilitation patients at Good Shepherd’s. Hyland Center for Health and Technology850 p. 5th Street in Allentown.
Wandercraft’s exoskeleton took center stage in Paris earlier this summer when parathlete Kevin Piette, a former tennis player who suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident 11 years ago, became the first person to carry the Olympic torch in an exoskeleton.
“We are excited about the potential of this new type of exoskeleton to revolutionize patient care,” said Emily Lyter, administrative director of Good Shepherd Learns, Creates and Research, the team that oversees the Fleming Center at Good Shepherd.
“Without the need for crutches or a walker to balance, Atalante allows for a wider range of movement patterns that we use in our daily lives. In addition to walking, patients can perform activities of daily living such as reaching for a cup in the cupboard, setting a dinner table or even playing a modified game of pickleball,” Lyter said.
“Thanks to the Fleming Center for Robotics in Rehabilitation and the incredible support of the Fleming Foundation, we are able to test, experiment and introduce new technologies for our patients,” she added.
According to Good Shepherd, the benefits of hands-free exoskeletons include improved endurance, increased walking stride count, increased flexibility, the ability to use the hands in functional balance exercises, and relief from pain and spasticity.
Kevin Oldt demonstrated the technology at Empower+ on Good Shepherd’s Center Valley campus on Wednesday. Oldt suffered a spinal cord injury in a snowmobile accident several years ago that left him paralyzed.
“It feels really good to stand,” Oldt said.
