Exoskeleton lets UC Berkeley grad take a huge step

[Kadie]

Exoskeleton lets UC Berkeley grad take a huge step
Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, May 14, 2011

Austin Whitney walked on Saturday. No faith healers were involved.

Yet when the paralyzed 22-year-old rose from his wheelchair and stepped across the UC Berkeley commencement stage to shake Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's hand, the crowd of 15,000 at Edwards Stadium went wild with cheers, as if witnessing a miracle.

snip...
"Ask anbody in a wheelchair; ask what it would mean to once again stand and shake someone's hand while facing them at eye level," Whitney said in anticipation of his momentous day. "It will be surreal, like a dream."

Or like putting on the Iron Man suit and acquiring super powers. A team of UC Berkeley mechanical engineers - four doctoral students led by Professor Homayoon Kazerooni - have been developing a computerized body brace called an exoskeleton they believe will be good enough to transform thousands of wheelchair users into walking people in a couple of years, and for an affordable price.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/14/BARO1JFEP8.DTL#ixzz1MO43v3BC



Austin Whitney walks across the stage during commencement ceremonies at UC Berkeley on Saturday with the help of a device designed by a UC Berkeley engineering professor and a team of graduate students.
Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle


Austin Whitney walks across the stage strapped to exoskeleton legs and shakes hands with Chancellor Robert Birgeneau (right) during commencement ceremonies at UC Berkeley on Saturday. Whitney, who can no longer walk following an auto accident in 2007, walked across the stage wearing the device designed by a UC Berkeley engineering professor and a team of graduate students.
Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

[msongs]

1. affordable? probably not after blue cross/cigna etc get ahold of it nt

[Keith Bee]

2. Hey!

Give the guy his props, already! K&R!

[Odin2005]

3. My friend would LOVE to have something like that.

She isn't paralyzed, but she does have cerebral-palsy-like limited mobility from a brain injury as a toddler and needs an electric wheelchair to get around.

[DBoon]

4. Remember this is a GOVERNMENT RUN UNIVERSITY

socialism in action

[Merlot]

9. Actually, I think Berkeley is part of the UC system which is private

CSU is the public university system - Cal State University at...

But makes no difference, this is an amazing story!

[Lucky Luciano]

11. Nope UCs are public. I did my grad work at UCLA.

Love this story!!!

[DBoon]

13. UC is definitely public

I have 2 degrees from 2 different UC's

[Arugula Latte]

18. Nope. Both systems are public.

[JDPriestly]

20. No, Merlot.

California has three types of public institutions for post-secondary education.

The first, lowest level, if you will are the publicly supported junior colleges. They are just great and not so expensive.

The second level is that of the state universities. They are very, very good schools. Cal State LA prepares a lot of teachers and other professionals.

The third level and the most difficult level to which to gain admission, are the universities of California. The faculty in these schools tend to be more focused on research and publishing than are the faculty in other schools. UC Berkeley is one of these universities. There are quite a few of them in the state including UC at Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, etc.

We have a lot of good privately funded universities in California also.

You can check on the organization of these schools by Googling the schools and also by looking in the Education Code of California Codes

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

[Heidi]

5. Recommended.

:kick:

[MinneapolisMatt]

6. HUGE K&R!

What a moment for this guy.

[AlecBGreen]

7. look at his expression

that is the face of real, unadulterated joy :bounce:

[progressoid]

8. Wow,

I'm :cry: tears of joy.

[hay rick]

10. Next issue is bringing down the cost.

Commercially available versions currently cost $100,000+.

A friend of mine had a bad accident a couple of years ago which left him a paraplegic. In the year after his accident, we did 3 fund raisers which raised about $80,000. The money went mostly for living expenses, rehabilitation costs, building a ramp at his house, and buying a van with a lift.

I would love to be involved in raising money for an exoskeleton, but at the current price it seems out of realistic reach. I hope the price comes down rapidly but I am deeply skeptical. My experience is that American medicine is about money first and the well-being of the patient second.

[blackspade]

12. beyond awesome!

[mrfocus]

14. Makes me proud to be a Bear / Cal Alumn!

Go Bears!

[Arugula Latte]

17. Go Bears indeed!

:toast:

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. "A team of UC Berkeley mechanical engineers...."

A similar device, made in Israel, appeared in an episode of "Glee" last December

A Very Glee Christmas

Argo Medical Technologies

Berkeley Bionics

[Arugula Latte]

16. Fantastic!

Love the lead, too. "No faith healers were involved." Science kicks religion's sorry butt time and time again.

Also, kickin' for my alma mater. :kick:

[woo me with science]

19. How cool is that?!

:woohoo:

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

21. Well let me say it... USA USA USA

:applause: