MEXICO CITY: David Zabala, an eight-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair due to his neurological condition, which also left him deaf and reliant on sign language, walked through a therapy room in Mexico City with the help of a robotic exoskeleton designed especially for children.
David Zabala’s mother expressed joy by saying, “He’s taking his first steps. That’s a joy for him; at first, it scared him, and his hands were agitated, and now I see that he’s already holding the marker pen and starting to draw or (play with) the ball.’’
Spanish professor Elena Garcia Armada has designed this exoskeleton to help children by enabling them to walk during muscle rehabilitation therapy. She was presented with the European Inventor award. The mechanical joints of this battery-powered titanium exoskeleton suit adapt very intelligently according to the motion of each child.
Director of Mexico’s Association for people with Cerebral Palsy, Guadalupe Maldonado, said that this suit helps children to achieve their rehabilitation goals in record time. He added that the benefits include significant muscle strengthening, improved digestive and respiratory systems, and a powerful mood boost.
After Spain and France, Mexico is the third country where the Atlas 2030 has been used to treat children. The association will initially offer rehabilitation to about 200 children with cerebral palsy.
“We want to continue working and empowering so that more children in the city and the country have access to this type of rehabilitation that radically changes their lives,” Maldonado said.
