When someone has a stroke and brain damage it often affects their mobility, and this is because if the stroke hits a certain part of the brain which is used for walking, then the person has to learn how to walk all over again. Luckily the human brain can adapt and use other parts to do this task, but still it's almost as if they have to start all over. And what about kids with cerebral palsy, combat veterans with brain damage, or accident victims? Not long ago, I was discussing this with an acquaintance - the potential for using exoskeleton technology to help retrain, or the case of cerebral palsy - teach the brain to walk.
The gentleman who brought this to my attention suggested that we should use the latest technology in exoskeletons used by the military in their research. What we would do is strap people in and the exoskeleton would walk them around, rather than them being in a wheelchair, and as they were doing this it would be like training the muscles, reflexes, and the brain on how to move properly to walk.
The gentleman who brought this to my attention suggested that we should use the latest technology in exoskeletons used by the military in their research. What we would do is strap people in and the exoskeleton would walk them around, rather than them being in a wheelchair, and as they were doing this it would be like training the muscles, reflexes, and the brain on how to move properly to walk.
There are treadmills with body harnesses to help people do the same thing in therapy clinics, the only difference would be that a fully mobile exoskeleton with balancing algorithms could go anywhere without being attached.
Now then, here is another idea; what if we can do this while people were sleeping? What if we could train their brains to do this activity even while they were unconscious? Could that work? Theoretically, it would make sense that it could work, as we know other animals such as dogs, cats, and even horses move their legs while they are dreaming. Dolphins, while one side of their brain shuts down still swim leaving one eye open.
This may be possible due to our genetics and so it would be interesting to try. After all, the brain wouldn't be working on anything else at the time, and we'd be working at the subconscious level, and if you think about it when you are walking, you aren't thinking about how you're doing it, your brain already knows how, it just does it on autopilot. For instance, if you were out jogging a marathon, your body is motivating itself while you are running, but your mind is worried about overcoming the fatigue, how much further you have to go, or perhaps even talking to a friend who is doing the event with you.
It seems, we could devise a technology to accomplish this task rather easily, and although I am not completely 100% sure it would be feasible, I'm pretty sure it would work, and if it did, imagine after a few weeks people that couldn't walk, getting up out of the bed, and walking around as if was magic? Please consider all this and think on it.
Article Source: Lance Winslow
Now then, here is another idea; what if we can do this while people were sleeping? What if we could train their brains to do this activity even while they were unconscious? Could that work? Theoretically, it would make sense that it could work, as we know other animals such as dogs, cats, and even horses move their legs while they are dreaming. Dolphins, while one side of their brain shuts down still swim leaving one eye open.
This may be possible due to our genetics and so it would be interesting to try. After all, the brain wouldn't be working on anything else at the time, and we'd be working at the subconscious level, and if you think about it when you are walking, you aren't thinking about how you're doing it, your brain already knows how, it just does it on autopilot. For instance, if you were out jogging a marathon, your body is motivating itself while you are running, but your mind is worried about overcoming the fatigue, how much further you have to go, or perhaps even talking to a friend who is doing the event with you.
It seems, we could devise a technology to accomplish this task rather easily, and although I am not completely 100% sure it would be feasible, I'm pretty sure it would work, and if it did, imagine after a few weeks people that couldn't walk, getting up out of the bed, and walking around as if was magic? Please consider all this and think on it.
Article Source: Lance Winslow
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