「鋼鐵俠」外骨骼可以讓殘疾兒童再次走路

「鋼鐵俠」外骨骼可以讓殘疾兒童再次走路

Tréxō Robotics has created and exoskeleton that can help immobile kids walk Tréxō機器人創造和外骨骼可以幫助不動的孩子走路

It attached to walkers and is battery-powered to help them propel themselves 它附著在步行者身上，並由電池供電，以幫助他們推動自己

It can help kids with Cerebral Palsy, Paraplegia, stroke, spine and brain injuries 它可以幫助孩子腦癱，截癱，中風，脊柱和腦損傷

A Canadian startup has developed a device that allows children with disabilities to walk.一家加拿大的創業公司開發了一種允許殘疾兒童走路的設備。

A new exoskeleton from Tréxō Robotics consists of robotic legs that can attach to any walker and give kids with Cerebral Palsy, spinal cord injuries, and other immobilizing conditions the chance to escape the bounds of a wheel chair and move on their own.來自TréxōRobotics的新外骨骼包括機器人腿，可以附加到任何步行者，給孩子腦癱，脊髓損傷和其他固定條件有機會逃離輪椅的邊界並自行移動。

While similar devices exist for adults, creating an exoskeleton for children came with unique challenges, and this is the first time it's been done.雖然成年人有類似的設備，但為兒童創建外骨骼卻帶來了獨特的挑戰，這是第一次完成。

TREXO EXOSKELETON TREXO EXOSKELETON

A Canadian startup has developed a futuristic exoskeleton that allows children with immobilizing disabilities like Cerebral Palsy and spinal cord injuries to escape the bounds of a wheel chair and move on their own.加拿大的一家創業公司開發了一種未來式的外骨骼，可以讓諸如腦性麻痹和脊髓損傷之類的固定障礙兒童逃離輪椅的邊界並自行移動。

While these have existed for adults, this is the first one to meet the specific needs of children.雖然這些已經存在於成年人身上，但這是滿足兒童特殊需求的第一個。

The two Tréxō legs easily attach to any walker, transforming it from a passive support system to a fully-powered exoskeleton device.兩個Tréxō腿容易附著到任何步行者，將其從被動支持系統轉變為全功能的外骨骼裝置。

Attached to the walker and strapped onto the child's own legs, the robo legs assist the child's knees and hip joints by using battery power to help the child propel themselves forward.隨身攜帶並綁在孩子自己的腿上，腿部腿通過使用電池來幫助孩子的膝蓋和臀部關節來幫助孩子向前推進。

It comes with a tablet that allows a physiotherapist or parent to adjust the parameters of the walking gait and adjust the various settings such as the assistive force on each joint.它配有一個平板電腦，允許物理治療師或家長調整步態的參數，並調整各種設置，如每個關節的輔助力。

'We are the first ever commercial exoskeleton for children with disabilities in the world,' cofounder and CEO Manmeet Maggu told DailyMail.com.聯合創始人兼首席執行官Manmeet Maggu告訴DailyMail.com，「我們是世界上第一個針對殘疾兒童的商業外骨骼」。

'Today, in order to walk, a child relies on a walker or gait-trainer (a walker for people with even less mobility), which allows a child to take a few steps everyday for exercise, but it is not a mobility solution.' 「今天，為了走路，一個孩子依靠一個步行者或步態訓練者（一個步行者為行動不便的人士），讓孩子每天鍛煉身體幾步，但並不是移動解決方案。 「

'Our robotic legs attach onto the walker, ensuring support along with powered walking, so that a child can take the device outdoors and walk longer periods.' 「我們的機器人腿附著在步行者身上，確保支持與動力行走，以便一個孩子可以把裝置放在戶外，走更長的時間。

The two Tréxō legs easily attach to any walker, transforming it from a passive support system to a fully-powered exoskeleton device.兩個Tréxō腿容易附著到任何步行者，將其從被動支持系統轉變為全功能的外骨骼裝置。

Attached to the walker and strapped onto the child's own legs, the robo legs assist the child's knees and hip joints by using battery power to help the child propel themselves forward.隨身攜帶並綁在孩子自己的腿上，腿部腿通過使用電池來幫助孩子的膝蓋和臀部關節來幫助孩子向前推進。

It can be used for a full day on a single charge.一次充電可以使用一整天。

Tréxō can be used indoors and outdoors on any surface you would use a wheelchair, but it isn't currently suited for navigating stairs. Tréxō可以在您使用輪椅的任何錶面的室內和室外使用，但目前不適用於導航樓梯。

There's a software approach as well - it comes with a tablet that allows a physiotherapist or parent to track progress and adjust the parameters (such as the assistive force on each joint) as the child gains strength.還有一種軟體方法 - 它配備了一個平板電腦，允許物理治療師或家長追蹤進度並調整參數（例如每個關節上的輔助力），因為孩子獲得力量。

All together, Maggu and his cofounder Rahul Udasi - both robotics engineers - had to develop hardware, software, firmware, and electrical systems to make Tréxō a reality. Maggu和他的共同創始人Rahul Udasi（無論是機器人工程師）不得不開發硬體，軟體，固件和電氣系統，使Tréxō成為現實。

While similar exoskeleton technology exists for adults, designing a system for children came with a new set of challenges.雖然對於成年人來說存在類似的外骨骼技術，但是設計一個兒童系統卻帶來了一系列新的挑戰。

'One of the challenges was building a system that is compact enough to work with small children, at the same time providing the right amount of forces when needed to support the child,' Maggu said. Maggu說：「挑戰之一是建立一個足夠緊湊的系統，與小孩一起工作，同時在需要時提供適當的力量來支持小孩。」

Children with disabilities often have really weak bone structure, which makes it difficult for them to take their own body weight for more than a few minutes.殘疾兒童的骨骼結構通常很弱，難以讓自己的體重超過幾分鐘。

With these differences, it wasn't as easy as simply shrinking down the current devices.有了這些差異，它並不像簡單地縮小目前的設備那麼容易。

'Most exoskeletons are heavy machines that put their weight on the back of the user, which meant that we had to design from the ground up,' Maggu said. 「大多數外骨骼是重型機器，它們將重量放在用戶的背後，這意味著我們必須從頭開始設計，」Maggu說。

'Our device allows a child to reduce the effect of gravity on their legs, by suspending them in the device.' 「我們的設備允許孩子通過將其懸掛在設備中來減輕重力對腿部的影響。」

The two Tréxō legs easily attach to any walker, transforming it from a passive support system to a fully-powered exoskeleton device.兩個Tréxō腿容易附著到任何步行者，將其從被動支持系統轉變為全功能的外骨骼裝置。 The robo legs assist the child's knees and hip joints by using battery power to help the child propel themselves forward騎馬腿通過使用電池電源幫助孩子向前推進，幫助孩子的膝蓋和髖關節

DISABILITIES TREXO CAN HELP KIDS OVERCOME殘疾TREXO可以幫助孩子治癒以下疾病

- Cerebral Palsy - 腦癱

- Traumatic / Non-traumatic brain injury - 創傷性/非創傷性腦損傷

- Paraplegia - 截癱

- Spinal Cord Injury - 脊髓損傷

- Rett Syndrome - Rett綜合症

- Neuromuscular Disease - 神經肌肉疾病

- Stroke - 中風

- Hemiplegia - 偏癱

- Degenerative Lower Extremity Joint Disease - 退行性下肢關節病

He said this is akin to moon-walking, adding that the system can be adjusted so the child is fully suspended (walking in the air) or fully weight-bearing (taking all of his/her weight on their legs).他說這類似於月球步行，補充說，系統可以調整，使孩子完全懸掛（走在空中）或充分的負重（把他/她的腿在他的腿上）。

'Our vision is that this device can provide not only therapeutic benefits, which have been documented via other robotic platforms, but also provide mobility, allowing a child to walk around rather than using a wheelchair,' Maggu. 「我們的願景是，這種設備不僅可以提供治療益處，這些功效已通過其他機器人平台記錄，而且還提供移動性，允許兒童走動而不是使用輪椅，」Maggu。

Being constrained to a wheelchair can lead to even more health complications, including blood clots, muscle degradation, and kidney failure.被限制在輪椅上可能會導致更多的健康併發症，包括血塊，肌肉退化和腎衰竭。

Maggu came up with the idea for Tréxō while studying Mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada after discovering his newphew Praneit has Cerebral Palsy and may never be able to walk. Maggu在發現他的新手Praneit患有腦性麻痹後可能無法走路，在加拿大滑鐵盧大學學習機電一體化工程時，提出了Tréxō的想法。

After researching and learning about the devastating affects of a lifetime in a wheelchair, his family was looking for a device to help him walk.在研究和了解輪椅上一生的毀滅性影響後，他的家人正在尋找一種幫助他走路的裝置。

'We quickly realized that there is no such device out there for him or any other children in fact,' he said.他說：「我們很快意識到，事實上他或其他孩子沒有這樣的設備。」

Maggu and his cofounder Rahul Udasi had to develop hardware, software, firmware and electrical systems to make Tréxō a reality. Maggu及其聯合創始人Rahul Udasi必須開發硬體，軟體，固件和電氣系統，使Tréxō成為現實。 While similar exoskeleton technology exists for adults, designing a system for children came with a new set of challenges雖然對於成年人來說存在類似的外骨骼技術，但是設計一個兒童系統卻帶來了一系列新的挑戰

'That led us down the path of building something for my nephew.' 「這使我們走上了為我侄子建造一些東西的道路。」

While gearing up to finish graduate school at the University of Toronto in 2015 (where Maggu got his MBA and Rahul got his Masters in Robotics), the duo realized they could make their side hustle a full time business.在2015年多倫多大學完成研究生課程（Maggu獲得工商管理碩士和拉胡爾獲得機器人碩士學位）的同時，二人組合意識到他們可以讓他們的一方匆匆忙忙。

They joined the Hatchery LaunchLab at the university and found capital for their startup when they took home the $20,000 Lacavera Prize at the program's annual Demo Day competition.他們加入了大學孵化中心，並在該計劃的年度Demo Day比賽中獲得了20,000美元的Lacavera獎。

The company later took home another award for $50,000 from The Ontario Brain Institute.該公司後來又從安大略大腦研究所獲得了50,000美元的獎金。

In summer of 2016, they conducted an emotional first test of Tréxō at Maggu's brother's house in Delhi, India.在2016年夏天，他們在印度德里的Maggu的兄弟家裡進行了Tréxō的情感上的第一次測試。

'Over the years, we went through multiple prototypes until we finally tried one with my nephew and watched him take his first steps using our device,' Maggu said. Maggu說：「多年來，我們經歷了多種原型，直到我們終於和我的侄子一起嘗試，並且看著他用我們的設備進行了第一步。

'It was a proof of concept showing that it can work, and we haven't looked back since then.' 「這是一個概念的證明，表明它可以工作，從那以後我們還沒有回頭看。

In the US and Canada alone, 510,000 kids live with Cerebral Palsy, 564,000 have traumatic brain injuries, and 5.3 million have some form of paralysis.僅在美國和加拿大，51萬兒童患有腦性麻痹，56.4萬人患有創傷性腦損傷，530萬患有某種形式的癱瘓。

Now the team is preparing to launch Tréxō in October in as part of a partnership with Able Bionics, a Toronto-based distributor providing exoskeletons direct to physiotherapy clinics.現在，該團隊正在準備在十月份推出Tréxō，作為與位於多倫多的經銷商Able Bionics的合作夥伴關係的一部分，該經銷商直接向物理治療診所提供外骨骼。

The first version will be for clinics and hospitals and allow them to use the exoskeleton as a device for physiotherapy treatment.第一個版本將用於診所和醫院，並允許他們使用外骨骼作為物理治療的設備。

'This helps us collect more data and fine-tune our next product, which will be intended for the families to use in their homes,' Maggu said. Maggu說：「這有助於我們收集更多的數據並微調我們的下一個產品，這些產品將用於家庭在家中使用。」

The launch coincides with the company's completion of the Techstars program, a tech accelerator that helps early-stage startups boost their business with mentoring and funding.該推出與公司完成Techstars計劃相吻合，Techstars計劃是一項技術加速器，可幫助初期創業公司通過指導和資金來提升業務水平。

Other Techstars graduates who went through the program in NYC include ClassPass, Plated, and Bluecore.其他在紐約市通過該計劃的Techstars畢業生包括ClassPass，Plated和Bluecore。

'The program has helped us build a better business model for the long-term growth and sustainability of the business,' Maggu said, calling the accelerator 'a surreal experience.' Maggu表示：「該計劃幫助我們為業務的長期增長和可持續發展創造了更好的商業模式，稱加速器為超現實經驗。

'The mentor adviser network we build at Techstars will help us not just today, but for many years to come.' 「我們在Techstars建立的導師顧問網路將幫助我們不僅僅是今天，而且還有很多年。」

While the company is focusing on kids right now, it does hope to expand and develop and advanced exoskeleton for adults as well.雖然公司現在專註於孩子，但希望擴大和發展成年人以及高級外骨骼。

'We want to build devices that can serve children from a young age through to adulthood, a lifestyle companion,' Maggu said. Maggu說：「我們希望建立一個可以幫助兒童從年輕到成年的設備，這是一個生活方式的伴侶。

'Our vision is to replace the wheelchair for everyone eventually.' 「我們的願景是最終為每個人替換輪椅。」

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