Skip to main content

Robotic exoskeleton can improve how kids with cerebral palsy walk

Robotic exoskeleton alleviates crouch gait in children with cerebral palsy
Some amazing work has been done over the past several years developing robotic exoskeletons that can aid adults with paralysis or mobility impairments by replacing the lost function of muscles to restore walking ability. A new project carried out by researchers at the National Institutes of Health is setting its sights a little lower, however. Literally. What NIH scientists have developed is an exoskeleton designed to help kids with cerebral palsy (CP), a neurological disorder that affects movement and coordination. In particular, the exoskeleton is intended to help with a prevalent type of cerebral palsy-induced walking disorder — also known as a gait pathology — called crouch gait.

“Rather than restoring lost function, our exoskeleton was designed to change the way children with crouch gait from CP walk,” Dr. Thomas Bulea, a staff scientist in the NIH rehabilitation medicine department, told Digital Trends. “The exoskeleton does this by tracking the child’s limbs and supplying motorized assistance for knee extension at the appropriate times of the walking cycle. These children have developed their crouched posture to compensate for the way their nervous system developed, and thus, it was unknown how they would respond to this new type of robotic assistance.”

Recommended Videos

Fortunately, the robotic assists turned out to work well. Of the seven kids outfitted with the robot leg exoskeletons as part of the NIH’s study, six demonstrated improved knee extension and were able to walk better with the additional robotic assistance. “Our results show that the exoskeleton can safely and effectively change the posture of a child while they wear it,” Bulea continued. “The exciting part is that the children’s muscle activity was preserved when they walked in this new way with the exoskeleton, suggesting that long-term use of this device might be a viable way to train a new walking pattern in this population.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Given that increasing physical difficulties mean that roughly 50 percent of cerebral palsy sufferers stop walking by the time they reach adulthood, this correction of crouch gait at a young age could have a major lasting impact on mobility. “The next step is a long-term study of the exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation in children with CP,” Bulea said. “Our ultimate goal is to train these children to walk in a new way — thus the key remaining challenge is to translate the improved walking pattern we observed with the exoskeleton to walking without it.”

A paper describing the research was published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Luke Dormehl
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Hyundai Ioniq 5 sets world record for greatest altitude change
hyundai ioniq 5 world record altitude change mk02 detail kv

When the Guinness World Records (GWR) book was launched in 1955, the idea was to compile facts and figures that could finally settle often endless arguments in the U.K.’s many pubs.

It quickly evolved into a yearly compilation of world records, big and small, including last year's largest grilled cheese sandwich in the world.

Read more
Global EV sales expected to rise 30% in 2025, S&P Global says
ev sales up 30 percent 2025 byd sealion 7 1stbanner l

While trade wars, tariffs, and wavering subsidies are very much in the cards for the auto industry in 2025, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are still expected to rise substantially next year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

"2025 is shaping up to be ultra-challenging for the auto industry, as key regional demand factors limit demand potential and the new U.S. administration adds fresh uncertainty from day one," says Colin Couchman, executive director of global light vehicle forecasting for S&P Global Mobility.

Read more
Faraday Future could unveil lowest-priced EV yet at CES 2025
Faraday Future FF 91

Given existing tariffs and what’s in store from the Trump administration, you’d be forgiven for thinking the global race toward lower electric vehicle (EV) prices will not reach U.S. shores in 2025.

After all, Chinese manufacturers, who sell the least expensive EVs globally, have shelved plans to enter the U.S. market after 100% tariffs were imposed on China-made EVs in September.

Read more