Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

If you have ever been in a wheelchair for any reason, then you probably know that an inability to walk can pose great problems.  I know when I was in a wheelchair for a brief period of time due to an injury, it was really frustrating not being able to walk.  In efforts to provide a solution, Honda has been developing a type of support system that is able to help people with weakened leg muscles walk again.  On April 20-23, Honda will be showing off a prototype at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress in Detroit.  However, before this event, Honda has plans to show off their prototype to some media in New York. 

Essentially, the support device consists of straps that wrap around your waist and knees, and then a few plastic pieces that have important jobs.  The plastic pieces are designed to collect information on hip motions as well as how you walk to accurately change to match your gait.  The whole idea is to figure out when to provide assistance to your walk, and when to leave it alone.  The computer measures how much to increase your average stride, in order to make walking easier. 

The straps around the waist and knees have been designed to reduce the weight and pressure on your body and make walking more effortless.  In addition, it is able to cope with your body whenever you decide to go for a job, so it is not limited to walking.  Honda’s prototype is a good example of how well biology and technology can fuse together and result in a beneficial product that is sure to help many people.  Walking is something many of us take for granted all the time, and I’m sure a device that can help allow people to walk again would sell very well.

Unfortunately, no word on pricing or availability at this time, but we will probably know more after the SAE World Congress event. 

Via [Honda Press Release]