How Robots Can Help People With Disabilities Walk Again

The wheelchair has long been the primary solution for those with mobility challenges, yet the design has not changed drastically in hundreds of years. But new walking robots may finally be ready to disrupt the space, with one exoskeleton becoming the first to allow a paraplegic man to walk fully upright, without the need for crutches.
» Subscribe to CNBC: cnb.cx/Subscri...
» Subscribe to CNBC TV: cnb.cx/Subscri...
» Subscribe to CNBC Classic: cnb.cx/Subscri...
About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: www.cnbc.com/
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: cnb.cx/LinkedI...
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: cnb.cx/Instagr...
#CNBC
How Robots Can Help People With Disabilities Walk Again

[@venkataanwesh]

As a paraplegic myself, It feels good to see some light shed on this topic in a world which cares more about people walking on moon than to enable every person to walk on Earth.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? A miracle

[@kvantassle83]

After a car accident that damaged my spinal cord almost 7 yrs ago I would give anything to be upright again and walk. Insurance doesn't cover an exoskeleton, my electric chair doesn't go through most terrain and transferring to go up and down stairs is so hard as my body deteriorates. I was working full time, a Mom to 3 young kids and totally healthy and now struggle day to day as my body slowly shuts down. I would love to just stand up and hug my kids, dance with my husband, take a walk under the stars, go grocery shopping on my own, go back to work, ect.

[@NewsChannel-y4g]

I am so sad to hear that I hope there can be something done for you some day. In God's name may Jesus bring you peace and faith until that day comes.

[@mrp_27]

Did you see the video with they made a man with a spinal injury work with an AI device in his brain that connects the spine to the brain kind of like "Bluetooth"? It's incredibly cool but I think such things won't become available to the masses for another 20-30 years at least because of the highs costs.

[@MoPoppins]

Little Luz is very blessed to have such a caring mom who’s so perceptive to her child’s individual needs and preferences.

[@Robay146]

Wow! Salute to all the men and women in this field working hard to make a difference!

[@ideoformsun5806]

I love how a paraplegic invented the first wheelchair. And it looks just like a "Big Wheel", way ahead of its time.

[@viviannemerr5084]

Any technology or robot that can help me do personal care, and daily tasks will be priceless for people like me. And by personal care, I don’t need folding laundry, or holding an egg. 😓😰 Some of us really need help every day for simple personal things

[@sb9191]

This is the type of tech governments should fund in priority, instead of massively investing in Space and Weaponry.

[@KittyHarper]

I just don't understand why people downvote videos like this. This is humans doing phenomenal ground-breaking things for the good of mankind! What in the name of God makes this worthy of getting 31 thumbs down? The work here is fantastic. Keep it up!!

[@jama211]

The insinuation that being in a wheelchair is extremely limiting is problematic, yes it can be sometimes but they make it sound like only walking humans have a full range of life, that's not an ok framework.

[@opportunityinvestinganalys6986]

I am so grateful I can walk.. Why does it take videos like that for me to remind myself of that..

[@veromeginitiative]

Thanks you guys for walking on these device . I pray that these will be available and affordable for all people that live with disabilities.

[@ShaudaySmith]

it's a shame this video isn't getting the views it needs and deserves. This paradigm shifting technology in the making.

[@HoshiNoAxo]

As a 11 yr old girl who is In a wheelchair this makes me happy

[@agentorange2560]

Nice to see a good story!

[@sosurim]

My God, Professor Aaron Ames gets it. The current world is designed for bi-pedal mobility, not wheel-based. That is exactly what I've been lamenting about for over 40 years. I do have legs, but both are devastated by polio. I would love to be able to leverage whatever's left of them, and finally become a citizen of this bi-pedal world rather than fiddle fruitlessly with wheel-based solutions -- which DO NOT work and sometimes create more limitations. Dean Kamen still DOES NOT get it. If his Segway was inspired by a disabled person with a balance problem, then he's got it all wrong. Balance is a symptom, not the source, of the problem. Development into wheelchairs and their ilk are dead-end solutions at best, and a curse at worst. Even the best wheel-based solutions are still completely incompatible with this current bi-pedal world. Giving us legs to walk with, whether artificial or as support, will benefit us psychologically, health-wise, and most of all COMPATIBILITY with the real world. I hope one day I can finally walk the length of a supermarket, airport terminals, get to a seat in football stadiums, hiking trails, sandy beaches, etc. As it is right now, they're just fantasies set in another universe. I would literally sacrifice any or my limbs to be able to experience that just once (even for 5 minutes) in my lifetime. I pray and hope Professor Ames gets the investment he requires.

[@Sam-zt2sj]

I hope someday we can build something like this to help other people stand

[@ideoformsun5806]

Wheelchair prices for self propelled wheelchairs shown here are way under what they actually cost.

[@martisleister9197]

Looks promising. In the meantime, I'd be happy with the type of walkers babies use. I could keep walking/standing and have my hands free.

[@AsherYH]

I can't lie that baby was still cute as hell

[@williamokuda8882]

Fantastic! More advances will keep coming.

[@Predestinated1]

The good side of technology. Aside from the "robots bad" - Terminator narrative

[@MaddieOlson1993]

If only this was available when I was younger. It’s cool!

[@ilovechika1]

I wish Electric scooters was acceptable as a medical device. it helped me through 2 years of Plantar fasciitis. had to get a note from my doctor saying it is used as a crutch replacement. without it I couldnt even go to the store buying more than 6 items at a time.

[@julieandal8470]

As a mother .of.my daughter.i know she's hurting everytime .. she also.providing all the needs of her daugther.. and she wish that someday she can buy supportive brace for her child to walk and stand alone....

[@Upwangupta782]

I'm happy to see that most western countries have so much compassion for those who are suffering..And the scientists are inventing new things to help them survive. I live in India, but in India, people don't care about these issues. They think that they have done some sins in their past lives that causes them being disabled in their present life. Love from India❤

[@bigdaddeeyy]

Let's stop splitting the atom and concentrating on feeding the hungry and making this world more loving and more caring to another and take good care of our environment....

[@naiyahp]

i like this robotic exoskeleton

[@smythson85]

My mum suffered from a stroke and since then her left side of her body could not move, i really hope one day the technology could help people suffering from aftermath of stroke to move independently

[@preetkalia3526]

This is excellent.

[@laurieannerodriguez5946]

Thank you God bless you.

[@inezqtaish6467]

Inez Qtaish say" Inez Qtaish won't shut up , Inez Qtaish always speak TRUTH

[@lifeofbekahh]

I have cerebral palsy and can’t walk these robotic legs are so cool 😊

[@mathieupaquette6719]

Simply awesome!!! Congrats

[@naiyahp]

I like that there’s a Rex robot with no joystick

[@GeneralCondom]

Anf this is why we need more engineers.. i just wanna star coding for free to help these children :(

[@dotsebelinda3248]

Please i am in Ghana and I need one electric wheelchair that can make me walk again please

[@dakshvora7186]

Thank God this is nothing about corona

[@matrix2678]

it is

[@shaider1982]

Yup.👍

[@dakshvora7186]

Yeah kinda

[@mehulshah8300]

Great compilation including what is possible soon & why we need the funding for the research. In addition to the social inclusion, significant cost saving for avoid creating wheelchair friendly infrastructures.

[@stevedolesch9241]

This is awesomeness in work! I couldn't get the name of the company of the wheelchairr with the motor under the seau at 8:46.

[@HeatherdawnRau-wp1qi]

I am disabled myself but Lyons VA NJ does not yet have this😢

[@auro1986]

an iron man suit will turn to reality

[@ShionChosa]

Oh it’s Angelic Layer from Clamp 🥰

[@naiyahp]

Well a giant seat

[@syedbasirahmed7891]

Congratulations...

[@naiyahp]

I have the ninebot s it’s great

[@akshat20021996]

Any product which is health related will always remain expensive....no matter what

[@andrestriadi7701]

sadly true

[@saeed6811]

Someone put the resources open source so that we can all benefit. A few years ago i wanted to buy a 3D printer. It was so expensive. Today i got a very impressive printer which is way less cost. That only happened because of open source community.

[@ashleighpiccinino1849]

All this fits with the technology course that I am in now, for my masters of special education.

[@vladimirmakarov334]

I have you in my prayers I hope you can walk again

[@julieandal8470]

It's very nice. I wish my grand daugther have too but I think it's very expensive we cannot afford to buy it..

[@naiyahp]

i loooooove all the robots especially the s pod i have the s segway made by the same company its good but it makes these rubbing type noises when i go fast

[@ethereal1257]

Its a great advancement. Wonder how much weight the robot is meant to take. Many people are overweight from not being able to excercise. Also this saying that we should be done with wheelchairs is proposterous. Many have the mechanics to walk but cant due to chronic pain, muscle and bone issues. There are so many individual factors.

[@naiyahp]

Oh yes I saw the s pod all it is is a nine or Segway but with a phew extras added in such as joystick or app controlled automatic bumper thingy magiggie idk what that bits called and a seat

[@christjunnetfacun6269]

Wow!

[@josemata9515]

Where can someone buy to help a good friend in need?

[@naiyahp]

Ooh it has an electric brake system to the s pod I mean

[@sbespn3820]

They need to come out with a bipedal robot that a person sits on top of and they can control the legs.

[@milk_is_a_lie9331]

Yea... that's nice until the batteries run down put more wheelchair ramps.

[@chernobyl_employee8872]

This is the future!

[@NinjaKing000]

ROBOT IS THE FUTURE!

[@Kleastic]

I use a wheelchair there are a couple ways to fall one way you're just screwing around and there it happens another way you get too close to an edge your wheel slips off the edge You're going to fall there's quite a few others so him saying there's nowhere to fall it's a bit of a joke but I understand his meaning but I disagree with the thing he's repeated so many times there's no way to fall right but I am impressed by what he's building and built

[@naiyahp]

why haven't i subscribed to your channel yet till now

[@alyshahelis1799]

How do we get on the list?

[@JuCarlos-ex8ip]

👏

[@jmonsted]

What exact issue does the Segway chair solve that a 3-4 wheeled chair doesn't? Everything else looks like great ideas, but that one seems to just be a massive money pit.

[@cfalguiere]

It's commanded by voice or body movement (like the standup Segway). It's very stable due to the stabilization mechanism. On the other hand it's expensive, massive and does not seem to be as dedicated to caring people than the two other company.

[@ideoformsun5806]

The girl they repeatedly show using the exoskeleton in the long sleeved burgundy shirt is not disabled.

[@Geographic755]

how I get it from Bangladesh how much price of it

[@hamipio87]

Where can we buy this walker robot ?

[@paulchukc]

quadrupedal mobility is more normal for animals and much easier to achieve than bipedal mobility.

[@hidalgoyakerson1598]

Happy yet scared of future robot people

[@kimijonghighball9626]

We need to make more advancements so that people can be more dependent. This technology is lagging. In ten years I haven’t seen much development. I wish the damn aliens would share their tech with us.

[@DangerDave-e7u]

Thanks

[@gunjanvarshney5876]

Hi, I am looking for similar support system for my 32 years old brother. He has spastic CP. Please help us.

[@Peter12029]

1:57 do you want a hotdog, sloopyjoe manwich is available

[@TravisGarnett]

❤️

[@wida2775]

If batteries cheap enough and light.

[@srmstm1077]

😍

[@subject_7]

Good video. With covid people will find the price hard to swallow. Perhaps when thing normalise then yeah.

[@Madysciencetech]

How much price of it.n'..address

[@DeannaSpencer-vf5qn]

All Stores Please Lower the the price of all Military & Local for all Brands of Disabled Products & Accessories & Production Cost Now That's too much $$ The Whole World Now 🙏🙏🙏

[@rishiraj9277]

I was an accident 5 years ago. Its spine injury..I can't walk . Bcz I lost my lower sensation.. how to I walk again ??? Plz plz plz help.. I wanna walk again....plz help.🙏🙏🙏

[@naiyahp]

and the trexo

[@AnilDadlani-d6l]

How country machine price

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool

[@jama211]

A lot of this is problematic but yeah, some great stuff here

[@DeannaSpencer-vf5qn]

All Stores Please Lower the Price of all Military & Local for all Brands of Disabled Products & Accessories & Production Cost Now That's too much $$ The Whole World Now 🙏🙏🙏

[@saulgoodman2018]

99% of people can't and won't be able to afford these. And insurance won't pay for these.

[@user-vd2jk7dl3p]

over time the prices will lower. New tech always has a very high price tag at first

[@annetteslife]

Some countries will probably insure those to a certain percentage.

[@alecxander1593]

Nah just probably just Americans. Where I live we have health-care

[@ntphan]

An Average Adolescent - Unfortunately, you’re probably right. I have seen someone from Brazil using new glucose reader using smartphone. He said it was a covered treatment. Here in the US even with insurance, the copay is often high enough to steer patient to older glucose meter.

[@EnchantedSmellyWolf]

I am sure the insurance will pay and discount you for the payments. Soon there will be a new law in order for these to be sold. Otherwise these new technology will be scrapped.

[@satyajitsautya2107]

02:00

[@xungnham1388]

9:45 His parents named him Manmeet Maggu

[@dwightlabbao]

How to order

[@williemearis]

Good video disability my name is Willie

[@annetteslife]

My name is Annette and i too have cerebral palsy. Mine is mild though

[@EnchantedSmellyWolf]

Cute name. I see you move from a Wheelchair?

[@annetteslife]

@@EnchantedSmellyWolf I don't know if you are referring to me or Willie, for me I have always walked I just have the cognitive delays. When i was little I had to learn how to speak and had physiotherapy for balance.

[@tamaraspillis612]

🤝🙏🤝

[@traciebecker6669]

I have some ability to walk with a walker but my balance is bad, my legs are weak. Shouldn't I have been able to have some help to walk better but there is no help. Soon it will be too late for me to be helped. I cahe n ndrive also but would need hand controls. I don't know how to go about giving this help I am by myself.

[@dparientep]

#unmejorMUNDOPARATODOS

[@dalemcleod3439]

great for those that can use it, but not a wheelchair replacement

[@deannaspencer8988]

All Stores Please Lower back to the Doctor tomorrow morning and Accessories and Production Cost Now That's a Much All Disabled Products and Accessories and Production Cost Now That's the $$ The Whole thing Now 🙏🙏🏹🏹

[@xinozanchase7082]

Yes turn me to a cyborg

[@kashataylor6430]

.🙏

[@thomasmcgregor9410]

I mean...most people can’t afford this I’m guessing.

[@EnchantedSmellyWolf]

I'm sure they will reduce the price in the near future and with insurance discount for monthly payment.

[@liveonflow6976]

In 30 years we will all use this....

[@omarthomas2522]

Hello good day,i have a son he is 5 yrs,we reside in jamaica is name is Delarue Thomas,you cant stop love him... ,is tbere a way in which i can get a link or connect for my son,doctors at the bustamante hospital for children in kingston doctor" Saw", and doctor Franklin diagnose him with orthrophrigosis,please i need help...

[@jiq9178]

We could design robot to conquer the world, space and the beyond. Yet, we are designing robot for old people, wonderful