Robotic Trunk Support Assists Those with Spinal Cord Injury

January 08, 2020

Columbia engineers invent a robotic trunk-support-trainer to retrain patients with spinal cord injury to sit more stably and gain an expanded active sitting workspace

Robotic Trunk Support for Spinal Cord Injury

New York, NY—January 6, 2020—Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can cause devastating damage, including loss of mobility and sensation. Every year, there are an estimated 17,000 new SCIs in the US alone, a rate higher than in most regions of the world. In addition, the rate of SCIs in people 65 years or older is expected to rise in the US, from 13% in 2010 to 16.1% by 2020. Data also shows a high survival rate for these patients, who need to function in everyday life but find sitting to be a major challenge. Read full article here.