WATCH: A new bionic suit is helping people with spinal injuries

 

This documentary is based around the remarkable story of Lazarus the Eksobionic Suit and the impact it has on those with limited mobility. The Elite Gym in Cork, Ireland which houses Lazarus is the only gym in the world that has this ground breaking technology making it accessible for users in a mainstream environment. Spinal Cord injury survivor, Nathan Kirwan and owner of the Elite Gym, Colin O'Shaughnessy are attempting to raise the €150,000 needed to keep Lazarus at the gym on a permanent basis.

Patrick McStravick, Vice President of Operations at Ekso Bionics California has strong family ties to Ireland. His family lives in Belfast and his mother hails from Cork. He has taken a keen interest in the development of Ireland as a robotic walking hub. He recently visited the first public installations of the Ekso Bionic suit in Ireland.

His first visit was to Helpful Steps, an initiative set up by Nathan Kirwan, spinal cord injury survivor and social entrepreneur and Colin O’Shaughnessy, proprietor of Cork’s weightlifting gym and five times World Kickbox Champion. The installation of the Ekso suit at Elite by Helpful Steps is the first initiative of this type worldwide and looks set to become a new model for the introduction of these suits.

Patrick states that Ekso units are installed around the world but to date have always been in clinical settings, such as Rehabilitation Centres and Hospitals. “There is an energy and excitement about walking in a robotic suit in this context. It’s very normal and social”. People from all walks of life and with differing levels of impairment visit the gym not just to walk in the suit but to participate in regular exercise routines with a view to gaining strength and fitness. Each individual has a different objective, some want to ensure that they maintain their physical status in the hopes that future developments may enable them to gain function, others have more immediate objectives such as competing in competitive wheelchair sports.

Patrick then travelled with Jane Evans of RollingBall the Irish representative for Ekso Bionics and other automated and robotic therapy devices to visit NeuroKinex, a newly established therapy gym just outside Antrim. The location selected by the IIJ and the IRFU Charitable Trust for the installation of the Ekso Bionics Suit they purchased recently. This new therapy centre just outside Antrim, an offshoot of the flagship NeuroKinex gym in Watford, looks set to change the delivery of fitness and exercise programmes for people with physical impairments.

Kim Gregg was previously the lead Spinal Physiotherapist at Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast before taking up her new post. Making the change to private practice is challenging but Kim brings a wealth of expertise and energy to the project. A lady with strong family family values and a great big heart, she has a careful and logical approach to rehabilitation. She combines her expertise honed during her tenure at Musgrave Park with the expertise of other therapists at the gym.

The first person to walk in the Ekso suit was the injured jockey Jonjo Bright; “I never feel as good as when I’m upright in the exoskeleton, even after I use it that good feeling carries over”.

Jamie Wall, the Cork GAA star features in the documentary too, as the suit helps people with spinal injuries around Ireland walks again.