Project description
Affordable exoskeleton gets people walking
Experts have long been developing robotic exoskeletons to restore human movements. For widespread use, exoskeletons need to become more affordable. Current devices run for about EUR 100 000. ABLE Human Motion aspires to launch the first affordable and lightweight exoskeleton that helps restore the ability to walk for those with lower-limb paralysis. ABLE strives to do so in a natural and intuitive way, using an electric actuator that flexes and extends the leg, mimicking natural human movement. An inertial sensor is also used to detect the user intention to make the step forward. This patented and disruptive system to assist walking helps in palliating health issues caused by a sedentary lifestyle, while boosting self-confidence and independence.
Objective
People with lower-limb paralysis could walk again if they had a robotic exoskeleton to restore the leg movements affected by the injury. However, current devices are expensive (cost about 100 k€), heavy and require trained professional supervision. Therefore, they are only found in large hospitals and rehabilitation centers, and are out of the reach of the patient.
ABLE Human Motion is a medical device spin-off from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) that is developing and will commercialize robotic exoskeletons to enhance their mobility and independence. ABLE’s vision is to build a world where everybody has the possibility to move independently, with that aim we plan the launch of ABLE: the first home use, affordable and lightweight exoskeleton that restores the ability to walk of people with lower-limb paralysis in a natural and intuitive way. It is based on an electric actuator that flexes and extends the leg mimicking human natural movement, and an inertial sensor that together with dedicated algorithms detects the user’s intention to make the step forward. This patented and disruptive system to assist walking helps palliating health issues caused by sedentary lifestyle while boosting self-confidence and independence.
So far our newly established company has been awarded as an innovative technology to improve healthcare by CaixaImpulse and EIT Health. We have been selected among the 5 most promising medtech start-ups by MassMEDIC (Boston, USA). The team has also won the acceleration programs organized by Richi Foundation and CIMIT, the most successful health accelerator in the world. This has allowed us to validate the product-market fit with more than 150 stakeholders, establishing a viable business model and a go-to-market plan.
The project is currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) between 6 and 7, and should reach TRL9 within an 18-month timeframe.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinephysiotherapy
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologystroke
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learning
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
08023 Barcelona
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.