Exoskeletons may assist people who suffered injuries in the return to health or facilitate the movement of people with disabilities. Robots resembling external skeleton are needed when the person is unable to perform the movements necessary in the process of rehabilitation. Polish exoskeleton not only has power control capability, but also detects the electrical activity of muscles.
Michał Mikulski, the author of the projects funded include by the Foundation for Polish Science, explained that exoskeletons enhance the activity of the arms or legs, which have lost all or part of their functionality. The designs created by Mikulski and his company EgzoTech include electrodes connected to the weakened muscles. The robot can be controlled by the user, the doctor or physiotherapist.
As part of the master\'s thesis at the Silesian University of Technology, Mikulski began work on the electromyogram-controlled skeleton of the upper limb that detected the electrical activity of muscles. The first prototypes were build in 2009, pilot version was presented in 2010. It was a right hand, a robot for people with muscular dystrophy. This project was academic in nature, the next ones were developed with a view to implement.
The next step was the lower limb exoskeleton developed as part of the doctoral dissertation. The researcher obtained from the Foundation for Polish Science, which awarded PLN 171 500 for this purpose. With this money, a prototype right leg exoskeleton with force sensors was built. Designed for disabled patients, the robot is also used for physiotherapy of orthopaedic and neurological patients.
Additionally, Mikulski received about PLN 30 thousand for control systems under the DoktoRIS programme of the Marshal\'s Office and the University of Silesia. These projects are the foundation of technology currently owned by EgzoTech.
Arm exoskeleton was a technology mature enough to be tested by people with disabilities. They could use it for active physiotherapy. The technology is commercialised by the company EgzoTech, established in March 2013.
Mikulski and his team found an external investor for their company: under Measure 3.1 of the Operational Programme Innovative Economy, the Jagiellonian Centre of Innovation paid 200 thousand euros for the development of EgzoTech through seed fund.
"This allowed us to bring the upper limb exoskeleton to the market - it is a physiotherapy robot EgzoEMG, now offered by the company. At the moment it is under certification" - said the designer.
The device and software have been tested in direct cooperation with patients, especially those who suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This genetic disease causes progressive and irreversible muscle atrophy.
"In its advanced stage, patients are not even able to move arms or legs. With our robot, they were able to independently move their limbs, which was a phenomenal result and means of rehabilitation. Patients are our pilots voluntarily and test our technologies in the laboratory in the company" - said Mikulski.
In his view, the technology must be developed together with people with disabilities. Otherwise, there is a risk of creating something that no one needs. For the same reason, engineers cooperate with doctors and physiotherapists who help develop the technology that for them is the most useful and user-friendly.
"The market for the invention is a enormous, if we realize that every year in our country 7.6 million kinesis, movement rehabilitation treatments, are carried out. The robot is designed to help patients, but they are not our customers. The offer is addressed to rehabilitation centres, hospitals with physiotherapy, orthopaedic, neurological, traumatic departments" - said Mikulski .
The robot will combine the possibility of physiotherapy of upper and lower limbs with to interchangeable tips. It will be marketed in Poland in preferential partnership program for rehabilitation centres.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland, Karolina Olszewska
kol/ ula/
tr. RL
