MossRehab was the first rehabilitation facility in the U.S. to pilot therapy using an Andago, a Swiss-manufactured robotic device that helps patients with stroke or brain injury regain their ability to walk.
MossRehab conducted a two-week test trial on the device for the manufacturer, Hocoma, and soon will add it to the collection of robots that helps patients regain functional movement.
Andago is a “U-shaped frame on wheels” with a harness that provides constant – and adjustable—weight bearing support.
“It’s guided by your own walking,” Alberto Esquenazi, MD, MossRehab's chief medical officer explains. It can operate on any level surface – carpet, wood, or tile. It’s untethered, needs no installation, and can go wherever the patient or therapist wants to go.
The Andago will enable patients who’ve had a stroke or a traumatic brain injury to “move more quickly from supported or assisted gait to unsupported walking,” Dr. Esquenazi says.
It also enables one therapist to work with a patient instead of the two or three who are required with other techniques. The Andago even has a stumble recovery system that will prevent a patient from falling.
Watch this video to see the Andago in action:
Learn more about the Andago