HAL® Hybrid Assistive Limb

History of Cybernic Therapy:

Let's start from the beginning. When we want to walk, the movement starts in our brain. The desire or will to walk forms in the brain, which then sends a command in the form of a neural impulse. This impulse travels through the spinal cord and then through peripheral nerves directly to the muscles of the legs. The muscles, receiving the command from the brain, respond by taking a step. A healthy person doesn't think about the mechanics of walking. However, there are situations where this mechanism is disrupted or completely ceases to function.

A spinal cord injury causes the signal sent from the brain to the lower limb muscles to arrive as a very weak impulse, insufficient to initiate movement. The person becomes immobilized in bed or in a wheelchair. Is this forever? If we are dealing with an incomplete spinal cord injury and the patient with lower limb paralysis can still receive sensory stimuli, not everything is lost.

In the 21st century, the era of exoskeletons has arrived.

At the University of Tokyo, a robot was developed to assist humans in performing tasks more effectively, efficiently, and with much greater frequency. This led to the creation of a company called Cyberdyne, which developed the world’s first active exoskeleton. This introduced a new concept: Cybernic Treatment.

What is HAL®?

HAL® (Hybrid Assistive Limb) is a lightweight and durable exoskeleton made of plastic, produced by the Japanese company Cyberdyne, demonstrating that new possibilities are available for people.

As the only active exoskeleton in the world, HAL® offers doctors and physiotherapists entirely new possibilities, an innovative rehabilitation method, and patients hope for a return to their previous life. Therapy using the HAL® System is distinguished by the fact that the movement is initiated and controlled by the patient.

HAL® is an innovative exoskeleton that amplifies the electrical impulses sent from the brain to the lower limb muscles, stimulates the muscles, which then move and provide feedback to the brain. This creates a feedback loop, or neuromuscular biofeedback.

Therapy with HAL® involves 5 sessions per week (daily) for 12 consecutive weeks (60 sessions).

Indications:

Rehabilitation using the HAL® system is intended for a broad group of patients with gait disorders who still have minimal function of the lower limbs and/or surface sensation, including:

• Incomplete spinal cord injury
• Stroke
• Muscular dystrophy
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neuromuscular diseases

Benefits:

Scientific studies have shown that therapy with HAL® results in:

• Strengthening muscle groups in the lower limbs
• Improving surface sensation
• Reducing spasticity
• Alleviating neuropathic pain
• Stimulating cortical areas of the brain
• Improving gait pattern and balance
• Increasing gait speed
• Reducing the need for assistive rehabilitation equipment