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DCU launches Exoskeleton Programme with Explorer Mark Pollock

DCU launches Exoskeleton Programme with Explorer Mark Pollock

Dublin City University, in collaboration with renowned explorer Mark Pollock, today (September 4th) officially launched the DCU Exoskeleton Programme which will provide free access to robotic rehabilitation for people who have been affected by paralysis.

The physiotherapist-led service will enable people with reduced mobility due to paralysis,  through either a spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson's disease, to access the Ekso Bionics Exoskeleton to allow them to complete sessions of supported walking, facilitated by a trained handler. 

Under the direction of clinical lead, Ronan Langan, a neurorehabilitation physiotherapist, the Exoskeleton Programme is designed to deliver an array of health benefits that regular walking provides. Participants will be able to access the expertise of the clinical team and the exoskeleton technology to improve their walking and assist them to get back on their feet. 

The official launch was attended by Mark Pollock, who is collaborating with DCU on the ground-breaking Exoskeleton Programme. Unbroken by blindness in 1998, Pollock went on to compete in ultra-endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps, including being the first blind person to race to the South Pole. In 2010, a fall from a second storey window nearly killed him. Pollock broke his back and the damage to his spinal cord left him paralysed. He is now on a new expedition, this time exploring the intersection where humans and technology collide, to cure paralysis in our lifetime. 

The exoskeleton being used by the programme helps people with paralysis to stand up and walk, aided by a robotic frame that is strapped to the body. The system was created by US company Ekso Bionics, who have worked with Mark Pollock to test components for the next-generation exoskeleton. Pollock is regarded as the world’s leading test pilot for Ekso Bionic robotics legs and to date has taken over 1.5 million steps in the device. 

The DCU Exoskeleton Programme is a core element of the overall strategic plan to establish a centre of excellence in robotic interventions in neurorehabilitation at the university,  contributing to transformative research and clinical practice in the long-term health management of people affected by paralysis and to efforts to ultimately find a cure for paralysis. 


Prof Brian MacCraith, President of DCU, said:

“This groundbreaking programme harnesses DCU’s expertise to offer potentially life-changing benefits for individuals affected by paralysis. It also significantly advances the University’s goal to create a centre of excellence in robotic interventions in Neurorehabilitation. Through initiatives such as the Exoskeleton Programme, DCU is delivering on its mission to ‘transform lives and societies’.”

Ronan Langan, Clinical Lead, DCU Exoskeleton Programme said: 

“I am privileged to lead this new and exciting robotic rehabilitation programme at Dublin City University that aims to break new ground in the field of neurological rehabilitation. Using exoskeleton technology, we are incorporating experts from DCU in health, body systems, biomechanics and engineering to maximise and improve service user’s mobility, health and quality of life. 

And, by combining these disciplines and our team’s extensive knowledge of neurological injury and neurorehabilitation, we aim to make a meaningful impact into the research of better therapies for paralysis now and into the future.”   

Mark Pollock, Explorer and Collaboration Catalyst said

“Finding a cure for paralysis is a human crisis requiring people to work together across geographical, organisational and intellectual boundaries. So, I’m focused on catalysing collaborations that have never been done before to make that cure a reality. And, that’s why I am excited to collaborate with Dublin City University and Ekso Bionics to launch our pioneering programme which is now allowing more people access to cutting edge exoskeleton technology that I have benefited from for the last few years.”

https://www.dcu.ie/exoskeleton/index.shtml