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322 HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONIC ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

FIGURE 11-5 Lokomat (Hocoma, Switzerland)�

Some of the most widely used mobile exoskeleton technologies developed for users
who have lower-limb mobility impairments are briefly described next. A summary of
the main features of these mobile exoskeletons is given in Table 11-1. A more systematic
review of powered exoskeletons for bipedal locomotion can be found in Contreras-Vidal
et al. (2016).
REWALK (ARGO MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD, ISRAEL: HTTP://REWALK.COM/) ReWalk
was the first FDA-approved exoskeleton in 2014 to be used as a personal device at home
and in the community. It is approved for home use, when accompanied by a specially
trained caregiver, for people with paraplegia due to SCIs at levels T7–L5, and for use in
rehabilitation centres for patients with SCIs at the T4–T6 level.
It contains pairs of electric direct current (DC) motors at the knee and hip joints to
enable the user to walk, stand, turn and navigate stairs, and safely manoeuvre sit-to-stand
positions. The ankle joint is unactuated and allows passive spring-assisted dorsiflexion.
The motors are powered by rechargeable batteries, and an on-board computer system is
incorporated in a backpack worn by the user. Sensors located on the user’s chest deter-
mine the angle of the torso and measure the shift in gravity and upper body movements to
estimate the user’s walking intention. The system is then driven by generating a prescribed
hip and knee displacement (Low, 2011; Lajeunesse et al., 2016).