Isle residents to put bionic device to test

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / ckojima@staradvertiser.com

Darrell Musik, top left, clinical director of Berkeley Bionics, holds a control pad as he follows John Greer, who took steps with the help of new robotic technology and a walker. Inset, Greer, using the new robotic technology to walk, stands next to his wife, Christine, and son Dylan.

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Greer, using the new robotic technology to walk, stands next to his wife, Christine, and son Dylan.

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Eight Hawaii residents will help test a bionic suit designed to allow paraplegics to walk with crutches instead of relying on wheelchairs for mobility.

The California-based maker of the device called eLEGS Pro has selected the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific to be one of 10 rehab hospitals around the country to participate in clinical trials next year.

The nonprofit hospital in Nuuanu has chosen eight patients to test the device working with physical therapists.

Berkeley Bionics, the device manufacturer, plans to deliver eLEGS to the 10 hospitals early next year and have versions that users can wear at home in 2013.

John Komeji, chairman of Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, said the organization is honored to help bring eLEGS to market. "It is our mission to provide the highest standards of patient care, including emerging technologies that will fundamentally change how we approach physical rehabilitation," he said in a statement.

The device was demonstrated Friday at the hospital by John Greer, a 46-year-old Kaneohe resident who was injured in a car accident 27 years ago and represented the United States on the men’s Paralympic tennis team in 2004.

Other trial participants include Greer’s wife, Christine, and 78-year-old Amar Sappal.

The device is a battery-powered exoskeleton strapped onto the body that controls leg movements through sensors that interpret the wearer’s gestures. Crutches are part of the system to enable users to stand and walk.

Eythor Bender, Berkeley Bionics chief executive officer, said a new era of mobility is approaching for paraplegics. "With eLEGS, they can stand up and walk for the first time since their injury," he said in a statement.

Berkeley Bionics was formed in 2005 after the Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley achieved a breakthrough demonstrating energy-efficient human exoskeletons.

The company created an early prototype dubbed the Human Universal Load Carrier, or HULC, and partnered with Lockheed Martin in a licensing agreement to advance the technology. Berkeley Bionics unveiled the improved system now known as eLEGS in October.

Testing will help define clinical protocols that meet safety and efficacy standards, and also help Berkeley Bionics innovate and improve the device.