According to the American Stroke Association, 5.7 million people in the U.S. are currently living with the consequences of a stroke and about 500,000 people each year have a first stroke. While the prosthetic devices development has been observed to sustain a rapid growth during the last decade due to technological advances, the related field of orthotics was observed to fall behind from a technological standpoint.
Victhom is currently designing a bionic orthosis platform that will address patients with mobility problems requiring rehabilitation and assistance for everyday life locomotion activities. The bionic exoskeleton, developed in collaboration with our partner Ossur, is based on the commercialized POWER KNEE technological platform. Combination of artificial sensors deployed over the affected limb and an already proven actuation control strategy allow extending the Bionic technology into the world of orthotics. Being wearable, the intelligent orthotic device stirs up bionic product developers toward new technological heights by shrinking size and weight of mechatronic apparatuses as well as by refining capability of real-time adaptation to gait deviation.
On top of reproducing all phases of locomotion without interfering with user remaining functions, the Bionic Orthosis is an interactive monitoring platform for the clinician. Using an array of artificial proprioceptors, gait-related data are collected and then processed to inform the user and clinician on rehabilitation progress.
Various pathologies involving gait deviations could benefit from this type of technology. Preliminary studies with the Bionic Orthosis demonstrate a significant improvement of the patient's ability to execute basic tasks more efficiently.
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