An eight-year-old boy with cerebral palsy has been restricted to a wheelchair all his life, but he recently took his first steps thanks to a robotic exoskeleton designed specifically for children.
David Zabala was fitted with a new Atlas 2030 exoskeleton that features mechanical joints that adapt to his motions, allowing him to finally walk freely.
The innovation is part of a therapy method being used at a facility in Mexico City, because research shows that allowing paralyzed children the opportunity to walk ‘not only extends their life expectancy and enhances their physical well-being, but also improves their self-esteem.’
The suit helps ‘to achieve in record time rehabilitation goals’ that would take months to achieve with conventional therapies, Guadalupe Maldonado, director of Mexico’s Association for People with Cerebral Palsy told AFP.
The suit was create by Elena García Armada who won the 2022 European Inventor Award for the innovation.
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