Towards low-complexity robotic exoskeleton: benchmarking and benefits for spinal cord injury patients

Summary

Spinal cord injury incidence is rapidly rising worldwide and in the middle east with an annual incidence of traumatic SCI in the Middle-East and North-Africa (MENA) Region was 25.5/million (1). Most of which are the young working male population. The most common level of injury is the thoracic region, causing complete or near-complete loss of motor power in the lower limbs. This population of patients has normal cognitive power, but due to the
high incidence of comorbidities associated with this disability. They become lost from the workforce. Not only this but turn to become a big burden on their families and societies, due to the high incidence of hospitalization caused by the associated comorbidities as bedsores, infections, contractures, chronic constipation, and even intestinal obstruction with its emergency needs and high mortality rates. Hence, comes the urgency of supporting this group
of patients, so that we can functionally improve their status, quality of life and integrate them back into society. Those patients are mostly wheelchair-bound, due to the high energy costs associated with the old passive Orthotic devices. Over the last couple of decades, Robotic exoskeleton devices have developed proving their efficacy in helping complete SCI patients ambulate as well as severe incomplete cases. Our study aims at comparing the conventional passive orthotics to the new EXOPS robotic exoskeleton as regards its clinical efficiency, in order to identify the outcomes critical to functional efficacy of SCI patients towards benchmarking a low-complexity robotics exoskeleton system and their developments.

Achievements

List of Publications from the Project

Partners

• Shady A. Maged
• Shereen Ismail Fawaz
• Assoc. Prof Mohamed Ibrahim

Project Members

• Shereen Ismail Fawaz
• Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Hassan Awad
• Shady Ahmed Maged Ahmed Mohamed

Project Leaders

• Shereen Ismail Fawaz