Exoskeleton for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Rehabilitation
Problem statement
Envision not being able to lift your arms. Daily activities such as cleaning and cooking become nearly impossible. Upper body mobility is critical to performing routine actions and maintaining independence. Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a condition that has caused our client to gradually lose strength and functionality throughout his muscle groups. Although assistive exoskeleton systems such as the WREX and ShoulderX do exist, they have limited mobility or preventatively high costs of ~ $5,000. No existing devices specifically support rehabilitation for people with SMA. Waiting times for these types of mobility devices can be years; Keith just received a new wheelchair after waiting a decade for insurance approval. Considering the timescale of a degenerative diseases, getting aid to Keith soon is essential. Our solution to this issue is to create an exoskeleton capable of increasing our client’s range of motion in his arms about the shoulder and elbow. This custom fit exoskeleton will allow him to raise his arms to three specific positions, allowing him more mobility and independence with his everyday tasks.
Team members
Beth Enright – leader
Daniel Alborta – communicator
Tyler Huggins – accountant
Jack Tamar – admin
Client
Keith Wanta