ReFlex

1.2 Million people around the world suffer from muscular dystrophy(genetic disease which causes progressive degeneration in muscles). 45 percent of the people aged over 65 find it difficult to climb stairs or move from sitting to standing position and vice versa. These people are limited by mobility which causes depression, isolation and high dependency on others.

The currently available exoskeletons for the challenged are not usable in day to day life because they are noisy, highly power consuming and bulky. The available knee braces are not specifically designed for DMD either. The ongoing researches also lack the depth of technological advantage. The available braces are passive and need manual controls to engage or disengage the position of the brace when trying to sit or stand.

We propose a solution to this problem by introducing “Reflex” - a light-weight knee brace which will be wrapped around the knee providing the challenged ability to climb stairs and ease knee flexing and straightening required during standing up or sitting down. ReFlex would read nervous signals from the brain using sensors present on the wearer’s thigh thereby controlling the support strength given by it. It is an autonomous device and operates without any user control. It will be lightweight, energy efficient, compact and noise proof and wouldn't cause any skin irritation.