CompositesWorld
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JUNE 2016 28 CompositesWorld FEATURE / ORTHOPEDICS Directed Medical Research Programs to do just that. Ekso Bionics also has received FDA approval for its Ekso GT product to be used with stroke and spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, while the US Department of Veterans Afairs (VA, Washington, DC, US) has issued a national coverage policy for ReWalk Robotics Inc.'s (Marlborough, MA, US) robotic wearable exoskeletons for qualifying veterans with SCI. Veterans will be evaluated for use of the device, which uses CFRP footplates to support the patient's weight, while powered hip and knee motion enables the patient to stand upright and walk independently. Training will begin on an outpatient basis and proceed to home or community settings, followed by consideration for procurement of a personal device for long-term use. Although both ReWalk and Parker Hannifn are focused primarily on rehabilitation products, Parker also is pursuing human augmentation products via its investment in and partnership with Freedom Inno- vations (Irvine, CA, US), which uses CFRP in a number of its standard prosthetic devices and component upgrades. Developments for future devices Segl is hopeful for improved materials. Although he concedes that carbon fbers are now "better performing and more precise", he contends that they are still merely tweaks of the same basic mate- rials created in the 1970s. "We need to take the next step in order to make the fbers and matrix more connected," Segl explains. "We need a better inter- face between the fber and matrix so that you are able to get the best performance out of the fber for each part. Ten you will be able to build lighter weight and thinner parts with the same mechanical performance." Segl also sees a need for tighter production tolerances. He explains that with thermoset composites, "you're making the material and the part at the same time, so you must have very tight control on the temperature, pressure, viscosity, etc. Variability causes part perfor- mance to go down. Simulation of composites is also not as good as with a metal part, which is very exact with standardized material performance CFRP for fleet, flexible bionic feet Össur has moved from its Pro-Flex foot (left), which has increased ankle range of motion and power, to the dynamic ProPrio Foot (right) now under- going tests as a mind-controlled bionic prosthetic for below-knee amputees. Both devices incorpo- rate CFRP. Source | Össur Exoskeletons: Lightweighting external support The INDEGO exoskeleton, which uses carbon fber in the foot brace, has been FDA-approved for increased efciency during rehabilitation and improved health for spinal cord injury patients. Source | Parker Hannifn exoskeleton pioneer and partner to the US Army and Lockheed Martin Exoskeleton Technologies (Orlando, FL, US) in devel- oping assistive devices for soldiers and noncombatants, such as shipbuilders. Te INDEGO exoskeleton by Parker Hannifn (Cleveland, OH, US) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Admin. (FDA, Silver Springs, MD, US) for use with spinal cord injury patients. "We use carbon fber in the foot braces," says Parker Hannifn director of global communications Aidan Gormley, "but the rest is made from metal and a mix of ABS and polycar- bonate plastic." INDEGO exoskeletons will initially be supplied to rehabilitation centers, which will manage their use with patients. "Te current focus is not lifetime mobility restoration for these patients," says Gormley, "but instead to achieve signifcant health benefts and efciencies during rehabilita- tion by replacing the current robotic treadmill training, which requires numerous physical therapists/attendants, while the INDEGO only requires one." In the same price range as many exoskeleton products, INDEGO costs roughly $80,000. Gormley says personal lifelong use is a defnite goal, but the cost is a factor and work is still needed to document its health benefts and usage outcomes if users are to obtain health insurance reimbursements. Parker Hannifn has started a four-year, multi-center study funded by the US Department of Defense and the Congressionally