Israeli invention gives paralyzed a chance to walk
what a "step forward" - pun intended :-) | 16.04.2008 15:34
Israeli invention gives paralyzed a chance to walk. An Israeli-developed and manufactured wireless, computer-controlled device that enables safe walking for people with a foot paralyzed due to stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
An Israeli-developed and manufactured wireless, computer-controlled device that enables safe walking for people with a foot paralyzed due to stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
The heart of the system, developed by NESS of Ra'anana, is a sensor in the shoe which identifies the walking stage of the paralyzed foot. It then transmits a wireless signal to a microprocessor attached underneath the knee. The NESS L300 system releases a suitable and perfectly-timed electronic pulse to the nerves and muscles that activate the paralyzed foot so as to facilitate the user's next step. The electronic stimulus replaces the nerve signal that would otherwise have arrived from the brain.
The new device can be installed by the patient on his/her own, swiftly and easily.
It is the second device developed by NESS for activating paralyzed limbs, and represents one more step toward realizing the company's vision of a complete, synchronized system for activating paralyzed limbs. The company says its device is an important achievement, considering the differences between one person and another in relation to the location of the nerves that stimulate the foot. The electrodes must furthermore maintain position throughout the period during which the device is in use. In addition, they must be re-located above those specific nerves each time the patient puts on the device. A further distinction is the employment of wireless transmission, considered the safest and most advanced of its type in the world.
Moshe Tzimerman, chief financial officer of NESS's main investor, Teuza Venture Capital Fund Group, commented: "I have always believed in the capabilities of the NESS team. They are world-class professionals who have yet again managed to achieve the inconceivable, and have developed a device which will change the lives of millions." Amit Dar, head of R& D at NESS, added: "The objective difficulties of the structure of the human leg posed a nearly impossible challenge for our researchers and developers, but the result is a small, elegant and efficient instrument that fits any leg and enables a paralyzed person to independently install it each morning."
Analysts estimate that the potential market for the NESS L300 is hundreds of thousands annually in the Western world.
The heart of the system, developed by NESS of Ra'anana, is a sensor in the shoe which identifies the walking stage of the paralyzed foot. It then transmits a wireless signal to a microprocessor attached underneath the knee. The NESS L300 system releases a suitable and perfectly-timed electronic pulse to the nerves and muscles that activate the paralyzed foot so as to facilitate the user's next step. The electronic stimulus replaces the nerve signal that would otherwise have arrived from the brain.
The new device can be installed by the patient on his/her own, swiftly and easily.
It is the second device developed by NESS for activating paralyzed limbs, and represents one more step toward realizing the company's vision of a complete, synchronized system for activating paralyzed limbs. The company says its device is an important achievement, considering the differences between one person and another in relation to the location of the nerves that stimulate the foot. The electrodes must furthermore maintain position throughout the period during which the device is in use. In addition, they must be re-located above those specific nerves each time the patient puts on the device. A further distinction is the employment of wireless transmission, considered the safest and most advanced of its type in the world.
Moshe Tzimerman, chief financial officer of NESS's main investor, Teuza Venture Capital Fund Group, commented: "I have always believed in the capabilities of the NESS team. They are world-class professionals who have yet again managed to achieve the inconceivable, and have developed a device which will change the lives of millions." Amit Dar, head of R& D at NESS, added: "The objective difficulties of the structure of the human leg posed a nearly impossible challenge for our researchers and developers, but the result is a small, elegant and efficient instrument that fits any leg and enables a paralyzed person to independently install it each morning."
Analysts estimate that the potential market for the NESS L300 is hundreds of thousands annually in the Western world.
what a "step forward" - pun intended :-)