Depending on the severity of a stroke, it can affect the patient’s mobility, where in some cases it can be severe enough where it impedes their walking completely and they have to be pushed around in a wheelchair. However thanks to the efforts of a group of scientists, they have created a smart harness that will help stroke victims learn to walk again.
How does it work? The harness is hung from a ceiling and is coupled with smart programming, where an algorithm constantly made adjustments to the support and force to the body’s trunk, depending on what the patient needs. This is because after a neurological injury or disorder, our bodies will need to be taught how to walk again.
Also due to the loss of muscle mass, perhaps from being bedridden, it makes things difficult as the body will try to reproduce movements that at least for the time-being are not possible. With this harness and the fact that it can constantly change and adapt to the patient’s needs, it seems that it can help with the recovery and rehabilitation process.
According to the research article, “Patients unable to walk without assistance (nonambulatory) were able to walk naturally with the harness, whereas ambulatory patients exhibited improved skilled locomotion such as balance, limb coordination, foot placement, and steering.”
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