27 Apr Visit of Eva Moral, Paralympic triathlete member of Team Toyota
On April 13, we received the visit of Eva Moral, Paralympic triathlete, and one of the four ambassadors of Team Toyota in Spain. During the visit, Eva tested the ABLE Exoskeleton, our first product for people with spinal cord injury. The exoskeleton is currently under clinical investigation in Germany and Spain, and is expected to reach the market within next year.
Eva Moral lost mobility in her legs in 2013, after suffering an accident during a cycling tour in the mountains of Madrid that caused a spinal cord injury. However, after six months of recovery and several operations, Eva had the courage to get on a handbike and set herself the goal of never giving up, even if the adversities were very hard. Triathlon has become one of the fundamental pillars of her life and, among her achievements, she has been proclaimed European runner-up on two occasions and European champion on another. Her new challenge is to overcome all the impossible and take home the gold medal at the Tokyio 2020 Paralymic Games, which will take place next summer.
The paths of Eva Moral and ABLE Human Motion have crossed thanks to Toyota Spain and its campaign ‘Start Your Impossible’. The Paralympic triathlete is a Team Toyota Spain ambassador, and ABLE Human Motion participated in the Toyota Startup Accelerator 2020 program, promoted by ISDI Accelerator, with the aim of bringing to market innovative solutions in the field of inclusive mobility.
The ABLE Exoskeleton is the first lightweight, easy-to-use and affordable exoskeleton for people with spinal cord injury that restores the ability to walk naturally and intuitively. Our device uses electrical actuators in the knee that act as an artificial muscle, flexing and extending the leg, and intelligent sensors and algorithms that mimic natural movement when the intention to step forward is detected. The system incorporates the most advanced robotics and motion control techniques, offering a unique synergy between the human and the machine. The exoskeleton comes with a mobile application that enables for personalized therapy and allows the evaluation of each patient progress.
During the session, Eva Moral walked with the exoskeleton for the first time, and exchanged opinions and new ideas with our team. This co-creation process between users, clinicians and engineers is vital for the advancement of technology, as it allows for a better understanding of the clinical need, and to incorporate improvements to the product and achieve solutions that best fit the needs of the users, in this case, people with spinal cord injury.
The exoskeleton is currently under clinical investigation in leading neurorehabilitation institutions, such as Institut Guttmann in Badalona, Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany, and Hospital Asepeyo in Sant Cugat.
Statement Alfons: “Synergy between patients, clinicians and engineers is crucial to create technologies that improve the lives of people with disabilities. Having the collaboration of people like Eva gives meaning to our work, and helps us to keep moving towards our mission: enabling mobility for all.” Alfons Carnicero, CEO of ABLE Human Motion
From ABLE, we will continue to count on Eva to work together in the continuous improvement of the exoskeleton and we will perform more tests during this year, as long as her championship calendar allows it.
