"Exoathlet": tests continue
"Field tests" of the Russian exoskeleton "Exoathlet" have begun
Tests of the exoskeleton "Exoathlet", created by Russian specialists, have begun at the M.F.Vladimirsky Clinical Center (MONICA). 6 patients after a stroke and diagnosed with multiple sclerosis were selected for training.
Within 2 weeks, these patients will undergo 10 training sessions in an "Exoskeleton". For training, 2 upgraded exoskeletons were delivered to MONICA, which are constantly being improved by developers. The first training takes place in the uneven bars, and then gradually the patients move on to walking forward.
"The task of rehabilitation," says Olga Domkina, manager of Exoatlet, "is to master the movement pattern so that the hip rises higher and moves along the correct trajectory. And we are already observing after three sessions in an exoskeleton, how some patients go through the corridor – back and forth without any other devices. The first ten training sessions are controlled by an assistant through a tablet – there is a specially designed program. And when the patient is ready to control his own walking – that is, let's say, in case of loss of balance, press the button and stop – we give him a "smart crutch" in which the control panel is mounted."
Such tests are being held in MONICA for the second time. Roman Chekhov, himself a design engineer by profession, who has worked all his life at the S.A.Lavochkin NGO, participates in the tests. He quite highly appreciates the benefits of training in the "Exoathlete": "After the first training course on the Exoathlete, I started walking. Before that, I was lying down. This is a significant step forward. Then for a whole month I walked without crutches at all, but, unfortunately, a month later I had to return to them again. Now, after three days of classes, I walk in the ward without any devices."
According to statistics, there are 600,000 strokes a year in Russia. 10% of all patients who have had a stroke are immediately ready to start training in the "Exoathlet". That is, 60 thousand people a year can get the opportunity to walk, which means for such patients the path to freedom and a normal life. While post-stroke patients are trying to rehabilitate with the help of specialists. But the number of cases is growing every year, and specialists are already sorely lacking. The great hope of doctors is precisely robotic developments. And yet this is only one stage of comprehensive rehabilitation.
Explains Sergey Kotov – Head of the Neurological Department, Head of the Department of Neurology of the Faculty of Advanced Training of Doctors of the State Medical University of MONICA, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor:
"We have Betz cells in our head. They transmit information from the brain to the spinal cord. There was a stroke. Now the pathways from Betz cells to the spinal cord are damaged. And, as a result, there is a signal to perform the correct movement, but it does not reach the muscles. As a result, the muscles simply tense up, and there is a strong tone, which also greatly harms the correct movements. We first remove this tone with botulinum toxin injections, and only then, with the help of an exoskeleton, we make it work correctly."
The exoskeleton restores the whole complex: walking, maintaining posture, maintaining balance. In addition, there is a powerful impact on the emotional sphere: a person can walk again! As a result, according to doctors, a person comes out of post-stroke depression, and at the same time speech, ability to orient, command execution improves. That is, it trains not only the ability to walk, but also to think.
At the moment, pilot studies of training in the "Exoathlete" are underway, so quite "light" patients have been selected. Then, when experience has been accumulated and the safety of the device has been proven, it will be possible to move on to "severe" patients.
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22.06.2017