AI trousers help stroke victims to walk again

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AI trousers help stroke victims to walk again

wo stroke survivors have become the first people in the country to wear trousers powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to help them walk again.

Morrello Clinic, a private physiotherapy recovery centre in Newport, Wales, has become the first place in the UK to employ NeuroSkin AI suit, built by Kurage, a company based in Lyon, France.

Julie Lloyd, 65, from Penarth, trialed the device - Edison Project © Provided by The Telegraph

The man and woman tested the suit ahead of a five-person trial which will launch at the Morrello Clinic later this year.

Both patients were already able to walk with the aid of a stick but the specialist suit, which the clinic leases for £5,000 a month, is designed to help people regain strength and motor function to speed up recovery.

An artificial intelligence computer in the suit orchestrates a series of small electrical zaps to the legs which stimulate atrophied muscles to boost activity and increase strength and coordination.

“There is one main computer which you wear in a vest top and the device comes with eight sizes of women’s trousers and eight sizes of men’s trousers, and a variety of sizes of slippers,” Jakko Brouwers, clinical director at the Morrello, told The Telegraph.

Ms Lloyd was able to climb stairs for the first time since her brain injury - Edison Project © Provided by The Telegraph

He said there was an “immediate change” to the walking ability of the stroke survivors when the suit was activated.

The woman who trialled the device, Julie Lloyd, 65, from Penarth, was able to climb stairs for the first time since her brain injury while wearing the suit. The man who tested the device, an ex-firefighter, also saw locomotion improvements, Mr Brouwers said.

“We want to use the suit more in October with a trial because a single test is not enough data to quantify the benefit,” he added. “We are looking to recruit five people before the end of the year to go through 12 sessions over four weeks, with each session lasting at least 45 minutes.”

Some of the sessions will be with a suit, he said, while others will be unaided to compare any improvements.