By Mandy Feder
When I was 18 or so I had a part-time job as a home health aide. I was floored by Joe, a 29-year-old paraplegic man. He was as independent as science would allow. He could drive his van and gadgets of one kind or another made it possible for him to live a relatively well-rounded and normal life.
Better life through science ? anything is possible, it seems.
But, what if he could have walked?
An article in the Economist titled, “The right trousers,” ponders robotics and the concept of an artificial exoskeleton, much like a pair of robotic pants.
According to the article, the goal is to bring hope and dignity to paraplegics by allowing them to walk.
The product is called “ReWalk.” The article states, “it consists of a set of plastic-covered aluminum struts, linked by actuator motors, that are strapped to the legs and waist, and a backpack. With these, and a pair of crutches for backup, a user can walk around. An array of sensors distributed along the struts and around the wearer”s body feeds information to a computer in the backpack, which tells the actuators what to do.”
ReWalk is in the trial stages right now in the U.S., Israel and Europe.
Man, is that ever cool.
ReWalk is the brainchild of Amit Goffer, an Israeli engineer, who in 1997 was in an accident that left him partially paralyzed. He wasn”t going to take his misfortune sitting down.
The idea is revolutionary, not just for the sake of freedom, but also for the possibility of improved health. People who are wheelchair-bound often suffer a number of medical issues associated with confinement, including osteoporosis, pressure sores, urinary, respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive-system problems.
The product sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, sort of. It is an expensive pair of pants.
At this time, the estimated cost is approximately $120,000. You do not want to fall in to Clear Lake while wearing these pants.
It seems that science fiction has crossed the line into non-fiction.
Are you hungry for more amazing, Steve Austin-style advances in medical technology? For those who are too young to remember, Steve Austin was the character played by Lee Majors on the television show “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
Take a deep breath.
How about an inhaler that provides information while relieving asthma symptoms?
Yep, it”s true.
David Van Sickle, an epidemiologist and medical anthropologist who worked for Center for Disease Control (CDC), created a method to use asthma inhalers to record the time and location of symptoms when they occur. Asthma is one of the world”s most common chronic diseases that impacts about 5 percent of the population. Triggers for asthma attacks can be difficult to pinpoint. Data regarding when and where attacks occur is typically vague; because of this many asthmatics are not properly treated.
Van Sickle”s creation, “Spiroscout,” is an inhaler with a built-in GPS locator and in more advanced models, there is a wireless link to the Internet.
Whenever the person suffering the attack uses the inhaler, it broadcasts the location and time to a central computer where the data is analyzed and weekly reports are sent to the patient and his/her doctor with a summary of observations and recommendations.
What a brilliant step toward helping asthmatics breathe easier and prevent further attacks.
Oh glorious science; it will cure what ails you.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee managing editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 ext. 32.
