Robot legs may replace wheelchairs in near future

Published March 27, 2016 7:21pm

A New Zealand firm is working on robotic legs that could make wheelchairs a thing of the past for people with mobility issues.

Bloomberg reported on inventor and Rex Bionics founder Richard Little, who designed a self-supporting exoskeleton for people who have lost the ability to move their legs.

Photo: Rex Bionics

The device is secured to the person's legs with straps. With the use of a console located in the handle, users can either sit and walk, supported by the exoskeleton.

The prototype, while still somewhat slow and bulky, could be a step in offering persons with mobility impairment an alternative to the wheelchair. It might also lower the possibility of reduced bone density from regularly sitting on a wheelchair.

Little’s inspiration was his best friend, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system and disrupts the flow of information to the brain. Some sufferers develop partial or complete paralysis as a result.

Rex robotics engineer Jarard Pearce, who lost the use of his legs 10 years ago, served as the tester of the device.

He said that through the use of the device he could walk back home for the first time in a long time and have drinks with his friends. He demonstrated the video in a video uploaded to YouTube in 2011.