Robotic neck brace gives support to people with ALS

News

People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) completely lose mobility of the head, but this could be rectified with a novel neck brace developed at Columbia University in New York.

The neck brace, designed by Columbia engineers, is said to be the first device to ‘dramatically assist’ people with ALS by holding their heads and actively supporting them during a range of motion.

According to Columbia, engineers and neurologists led by Sunil Agrawal, professor of mechanical engineering and of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine, designed a comfortable and wearable robotic neck brace that incorporates sensors and actuators to adjust the head posture, restoring around 70 per cent of the active range of motion of the human head.

Using simultaneous measurement of the motion with sensors on the neck brace and surface electromyography (EMG) of the neck muscles, it also becomes a new diagnostic tool for impaired motion of the head-neck. Their pilot study has been published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

"The brace would also be useful to modulate rehabilitation for those who have suffered whiplash neck injuries from car accidents or have from poor neck control because of neurological diseases such as cerebral palsy," Agrawal said in a statement.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address