Wearable exoskeletons for the physical treatment of children with quadriparesis

Quadriparesis, caused by a number of congenital and acquired neuropathologies, affects children with the symptoms of weakness and motor impairment in all four limbs. The physical treatment of this disease could be hypothetically improved by the use of wearable exoskeletons which would contribute to avoiding the side effects of the permanent sitting position: scoliosis, osteoporosis, spasticity, respiratory disorders, blood circulation problems, among others. Overall, the use of a wearable exoskeleton would contribute substantially to the improvement of these children´s quality of life. This paper presents the first pédiatrie wearable exoskeleton for the physical treatment of this disease. The paper shows the main components of the device and the laboratory proof of concept in two voluntary subjects.