Rex Bionics: Legs for the lame

Bio means “life” and onics means “it is related to electronics”. So bionics is the study of those

mechanical systems or machines that function like body parts of living organisms or the

living organisms themselves. In other words it means using mechanical parts embedded with

electronic devices to assist humans thereby supplementing or duplicating the parts of the

body.The word bionic was coined by Jack E. Steele in 1958.

Rex bionics is the global technology leader in manufacturing robotic walking robotic

devices. Rex is a blessing to all those who dream to walk , run and move with the help of

their legs but remain restricted to their wheel chair. It is a realistic standing and walking

alternative to the wheel chairs. It allows the user to sit, stand, walk, climb or get down stairs

etc. It is a wonderful medium for all those who want to lead a normal life in spite of being

wheel chair ridden . It is a self supporting system. The greatest advantage of rex is that it is

easily adjustable. It works with the help of joysticks so using the device is also very easy.

These robotic systems even have the power of rehabilitation. It also improves the health of

people who are restricted to wheel chairs. Using the rex systems one can stand and move here

and there with proper stability thus eliminating the medical hazards caused due to

continuous sitting at a place for a very long time. The rehabilitation facility available may

also help in recovery in some cases. They also protect users from the shoulder injuries caused

due to crutches. This makes them stress free. Also once rex is charged a person can

continuously walk for about two hours without stopping. However the drawback of these

devices is that these can be used only by those people whose upper part of the body is

normally functioning and they can walk with the help of crutches. These devices can

otherwise be known as robotic mechanised crutches.

Rex comes with a hefty price tag of US $150,000 and at present is only available in New

Zealand. Research is being carried out on how to control the robot with brain signals.

In order to use rex robotics exoskeleton, a user needs to be between 4-foot, 8-inches and 6-

foot, 4-inches tall; weigh less than 220 pounds; and have a hip girth of less than 14.9 inches

as the device weighs about 84 pounds. And, of course, he should be able to afford the price.

Apart from rex, other devices that are trying to give mobility to wheel chair ridden people

include Berkeley Bionics’ eLegs, a robotic exoskeleton created by Berkeley Bionics and

Lockheed Martin to give soldiers superhuman strength to carry loads up to 200 pounds for

extended periods. eLegs are currently undergoing investigational trials and are expected to

become available to rehabilitation centers by the end of the year. Another robotic suit, Argo

Medical Technologies’ ReWalk, is currently undergoing clinical trials in the U.S. The Israeli

company says it expects to be selling ReWalk for personal use for about $83,500 by early

next year.

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