可穿戴的電子衣利用腦電波來增強(qiáng)你的肌肉

可穿戴的電子衣利用腦電波來增強(qiáng)你的肌肉

Kristen Sorensen was 55 when she became paralyzed from the neck down last year.

去年，55歲的克里斯汀·索倫森頸部以下癱瘓。

"It came out of nowhere," says Sorensen. "I'd been fine and exercising every day, but it just started with tingling in my fingertips then progressed."

“它不知從何而來，”索倫森說。“我一直都很好，每天都鍛煉，但我的指尖開始有刺痛感，然后發(fā)展成這樣。”

Diagnosed in October 2018 with Guillain Barre syndrome, a rare disorder that affects the body's nervous system, she never expected to walk again.

2018年10月，她被診斷出患有格林巴利綜合征，這是一種影響身體神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)的罕見疾病。她再也無法走路了。

But earlier that year, the Brooks Cybernic Treatment Center in Jacksonville, Florida, became the first US center to use a unique rehabilitative technology developed in Japan -- the HybridAssistive Limb (HAL).

但那一年的早些時(shí)候，位于佛羅里達(dá)州杰克遜維爾的布魯克斯賽博尼克治療中心成為美國第一個(gè)使用日本開發(fā)的獨(dú)特康復(fù)技術(shù)——混合輔助肢體（簡稱HAL）的治療中心。

HAL -- essentially a wearable cyborg -- helps those with spinal cord injuries and muscular dystrophy regain their movements and strengthen their nerves and muscles. Known as exoskeletons, they're a type of lightweight suit, with joints powered by small electric motors, that serve as mechanical muscle.

HAL——本質(zhì)上是一個(gè)可穿戴的電子衣——幫助那些脊髓損傷和肌肉萎縮癥患者恢復(fù)運(yùn)動(dòng)，加強(qiáng)他們的神經(jīng)和肌肉。它們被稱為外骨骼，是一種輕型的套裝，關(guān)節(jié)由小型電動(dòng)馬達(dá)驅(qū)動(dòng)，充當(dāng)機(jī)械肌肉。

Here's what's truly mind-blowing: Patients use their brain waves to control them.

真正令人興奮的是:病人用他們的腦電波來控制他們。

When Sorensen heard about the brain wave-controlled exoskeleton, which was developed by Japanese roboticist Yoshiyuki Sankai, she knew she had to give it a try. She was determined to walk at her daughter's wedding a few months later in December.

當(dāng)索倫森聽說由日本機(jī)器人學(xué)家三階善之開發(fā)的腦電波控制外骨骼時(shí)，她知道自己必須試一試。她決定在幾個(gè)月后的12月女兒的婚禮上走路。

But it's not just those with disabilities or injuries who stand to benefit. By 2050, there will be more than 2 billion people over age 60, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and exoskeletons could offer a solution to the world's aging population.

但受益的不僅僅是那些殘疾或受傷的人。根據(jù)世界衛(wèi)生組織(WHO)的數(shù)據(jù)，到2050年，60歲以上的老年人將超過20億，外骨骼系統(tǒng)可能會(huì)為世界老齡化人口提供一個(gè)解決方案。

In the future, as human bodies wear down with age, an exoskeleton -- powered by active minds -- could help people stay on their feet.

在未來，隨著年齡的增長，人的身體會(huì)逐漸老化，一種由活躍思維驅(qū)動(dòng)的外骨骼可以幫助人們保持站立。

With such huge potential applications available, the global medical exoskeleton market will be worth an estimated $2.8 billion by 2023, according to research company Markets and Markets.

根據(jù)研究公司Markets and Markets的數(shù)據(jù)，隨著這些巨大的潛在應(yīng)用的出現(xiàn)，到2023年，全球醫(yī)療外骨骼市場(chǎng)的價(jià)值將達(dá)到28億美元。

When Sorensen first tried HAL, she could barely move across flat surfaces.

當(dāng)索倫森第一次嘗試HAL時(shí)，她幾乎不能在平面上移動(dòng)。

A trained physiotherapist at the Brooks Center helped her fit HAL over her waist and trousers, connecting her to sensors that help pick up faint bio-electric signals on the surface of the skin, which communicate a patient's intention to move. Once HAL receives these signals, it helps support the person's movements.

布魯克斯中心的一名訓(xùn)練有素的理療師幫她把HAL戴在腰和褲子上，并把她與傳感器連接起來。傳感器可以捕捉到皮膚表面微弱的生物電信號(hào)，傳達(dá)病人的移動(dòng)意圖。一旦HAL接收到這些信號(hào)，它就會(huì)輔助支持這個(gè)人移動(dòng)。

But you can't just put on HAL and expect to be sprinting in seconds.

但你不能期待一戴上HAL，然后就在幾秒鐘內(nèi)就能移動(dòng)。

Rehabilitation requires time, determination and the help of a physiotherapist and a body weight harness that ensures patients are supported and kept upright while they use HAL .

康復(fù)需要時(shí)間、決心和物理治療師的幫助，還需要一個(gè)體重控制裝置，確?；颊咴谑褂肏AL時(shí)能得到支撐和保持直立。

During that training, physiotherapists keep a log of each patient's motions and the settings used -- from walk to jog mode. They can monitor the user's movements and adjust the settings accordingly, so their movements come more naturally.

在訓(xùn)練期間，物理治療師會(huì)記錄下每位患者的運(yùn)動(dòng)情況和所用的設(shè)置——從走路到慢跑模式。他們可以監(jiān)控用戶的動(dòng)作，并相應(yīng)地調(diào)整設(shè)置，使他們的動(dòng)作更自然。