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Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

reuters.com

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Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#131

Post by hutzlibu »

hnthrowaway353 wrote: post #87
agumonkey wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm near ready to start a workshop, I think we ought to make these kind of things more prevalent, a lot of money is lost on ultra expensive medical devices with really low value (wheelchairs or similar) giving someone an exoskeleton might be something much more joyful and inspiring than a wheelchair, it can revive your life

My wife is a wheelchair user and it makes me sad to hear that some think her chair has low value, when it's very valuable to us. She can chase after our 15 month toddler without ever getting tired, she can cruise at 6 mph with no problems, and she's quite happy with her life. An exoskeleton wouldn't let her do any of those things and would significantly reduce her quality of life.

"An exoskeleton wouldn't let her do any of those things and would significantly reduce her quality of life."

I do not want to talk down on the wheelchair, but what about an exoskeleton as simply another way to get around and do other things, you cannot do in a wheelchair, because not every way is level? That would probably be a further improvement, if the tech would be ready and affordable?

If I ever loose my ability to walk, I really hope walking "wheel"chairs or something like a exoskeleton will be avaiable.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#132

Post by burnished »

big_curses wrote: post #116
devwastaken wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget patents. You yourself can create whatever you want, but the second you want to sell it you have to have a patent law firm scour over everything, pay dozens of companies, get rejected by others, and end up having to entirely redesign your product in an inefficient manner because some dipstick owns a patent they just sit on. If we abolish patents innovation will finally be possible.

Why abolish patents rather than just fix their implementation? Patents are very important. Without them, incentive to bring things to market falls as all your hard work of designing and creating something can just immediately be taken and reused by others. This encourages everyone to sit around and wait for others to make something first, and then punishes the one who does. Why not instead rework patents so that they…

Is there any evidence that this argument is true? It sort of ignores the fact that people do invent, and frequently, almost as a byproduct of being alive. Plus the constant litigation around patents seems to add more friction to the process, preventing people who would materially contribute to the common good by tinkering and inventing.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#133

Post by burnished »

agumonkey wrote: post #99
hnthrowaway353 wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife is a wheelchair user and it makes me sad to hear that some think her chair has low value, when it's very valuable to us. She can chase after our 15 month toddler without ever getting tired, she can cruise at 6 mph with no problems, and she's quite happy with her life. An exoskeleton wouldn't let her do any of those things and would significantly reduce her quality of life.

well i'm dumbfounded, I'd honestly thought an exoskeleton would make people like her happier i never meant to deny your own experience, I was mostly sad about the high cost and limits of a wheel chair.

you didn't say anything wrong, it is a throw away account making claims about how a technology that doesn't exist would definitely decrease quality of life.. I wouldn't put too much stock in what they say.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#134

Post by nobody_nothing »

Just want to flag that, in addition to all this fun and exciting new tech for disabilities, we really do just need better basics.

As the partner of a wheelchair user, these exoskeletons are a great toy to have on the horizon – but the promise of this has been around for a long time, and while the hope of a better future is exciting, we need change on a much quicker time scale than this. (Not saying people shouldn't be working on this – it's rad that they are).

On a day-to-day level, my partner would much more benefit from:

- A better wheelchair (this will mean something different for every body – for them, someone who uses a wheelchair for chronic pain, an exoskeleton wouldn't even help – much more useful would be a wheelchair where every bump of pavement doesn't rattle your whole body).

- More accessible shops and public spaces. We don't really get to go out much – most often blockades include cracked sidewalks, friend's houses that require a step (or stairs), and inaccessible shops.

- Better safety nets for those with disabilities (it's VERY expensive to be disabled in America – consider how much more these exoskeletons will cost than already expensive wheelchairs).

tl;dr These technologies are exciting and deserve attention and energy – just keep in mind that the notion that these emerging technologies will someday wipe out all of wheelchair users' problems in one fell swoop is both false and does nothing for the many millions prevented from participating in society right now. We need better access today.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#136

Post by hnthrowaway353 »

agumonkey wrote: post #99
hnthrowaway353 wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife is a wheelchair user and it makes me sad to hear that some think her chair has low value, when it's very valuable to us. She can chase after our 15 month toddler without ever getting tired, she can cruise at 6 mph with no problems, and she's quite happy with her life. An exoskeleton wouldn't let her do any of those things and would significantly reduce her quality of life.

well i'm dumbfounded, I'd honestly thought an exoskeleton would make people like her happier i never meant to deny your own experience, I was mostly sad about the high cost and limits of a wheel chair.

UC San Francisco used to run disability inspiration porn ads showing a plodding exoskeleton that would go about maybe 1 mi/day? My wife would joke that in the time it would take the exoskeleton to get her to the front door, she could used her power chair to walk to Starbucks, order breakfast, and bring it home. Has society put limits on what she can do in her chair due to crappy architecture, yes. Would a practical exoskeleton fix that, we doubt it.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#137

Post by BadCookie »

agumonkey wrote: post #99
hnthrowaway353 wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife is a wheelchair user and it makes me sad to hear that some think her chair has low value, when it's very valuable to us. She can chase after our 15 month toddler without ever getting tired, she can cruise at 6 mph with no problems, and she's quite happy with her life. An exoskeleton wouldn't let her do any of those things and would significantly reduce her quality of life.

well i'm dumbfounded, I'd honestly thought an exoskeleton would make people like her happier i never meant to deny your own experience, I was mostly sad about the high cost and limits of a wheel chair.

A wheelchair can be much better than nothing and still be far inferior to a potential exoskeleton. I use a wheelchair whenever I leave the house, and I am not a fan. There are so many places I cannot go: anywhere that requires stairs, the beach and most other places that are unpaved, anywhere without curb cuts, any foreign country that doesn’t have accessibility laws, anywhere with a hill that’s even a little bit steep. I would happily pay $100k for a really great exoskeleton (if what’s in my imagination could be made real, anyway).

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#138

Post by hnthrowaway353 »

burnished wrote: post #133
agumonkey wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well i'm dumbfounded, I'd honestly thought an exoskeleton would make people like her happier i never meant to deny your own experience, I was mostly sad about the high cost and limits of a wheel chair.

you didn't say anything wrong, it is a throw away account making claims about how a technology that doesn't exist would definitely decrease quality of life.. I wouldn't put too much stock in what they say.

I'm just relaying my wife's opinion. She's kinda tired of people presuming that her life isn't great because she's in a wheelchair and that everything would be better if she could walk.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#140

Post by brianwawok »

pkaye wrote: post #92
manmeet wrote: post #63

This is amazing. I built one to help my nephew walk, and now selling commercially ( http://trexorobotics.com ) I am fed-up at the lack of options available to individuals. People thought that everyone will get an exoskeleton and be able to walk with it everywhere. But the industry ran into many challenges. A big one that many dont understand is getting insurance coverage. The way the US healthcare system is designed,…

I'm curious why it is so expensive though. Its works out to $36k paid over 3 years to own it.

Can you start a business to sell it for less and make a profit? If so you should. You will take the market. Capitalism is great.
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