BLEEX Cyborg Exoskeleton Lets Paralyzed Man Walk

There’s a thin line between the world of programming and that of robots. After all, it takes complex physics to produce a robot that can perform up to snuff, which is the same sort of backbone that many computer programs run on.

For left-brain minded individuals, it really comes down to a matter of preference when choosing a field to specialize in.

For those geniuses that turn to robotics, it’s usually a choice made for altruistic reasons such as wanting to change the world and making life better.

Take, for example, the case of Austin Whitney, a recent graduate of Berkley University. Whitney had been paralyzed beneath the waist back in 2007, and hadn’t been able to walk since. But at his recent graduation, the crowd in attendance was stunned when Whitney rose to his feet and traversed to the stage (thanks to the assistance of a robotic walker).

The “exoskeleton” as it was described, was the result of Berkley mechanical engineering professor Homayoon Kazerooni’s vision. Kazerooni was able to achieve these miraculous results thanks to a grant gifted by the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (United States D.O.D. division). The original intent of the grant was to create some sort of Cyborg creation that would boost regular human performance for greater endurance.

But the actual system Kazerooni and his team developed had implications far beyond the fold: to a region where disabled individuals can regain some of their mobility.

The brand new robotic movement system, called BLEEX (Berkley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton) may sound like science fiction, but with the current rate of technology lifecycles, I can’t say that this news came to a shock to me.

BLEEX is made up of a backpack frame that connects to a person’s legs and uses an innovative power infrastructure to move them – all while placing minimal stress on the individual within the machine.

And while the Cyborg-ish system is super cool, I must admit to some tech envy because we don’t have anything quite that advanced in our IT rental inventory (yet). We’re still suffering slim pickings in the robotics arena, but here’s hoping that will change as the technology advances more in the near future.

In the meantime, check out this video below: