Berkeley Bionics

Berkeley Bionics augments humans with wearable, artifi­cially intelligent bionic devices called exoskeletons. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/berkeleybionics/ Read our Blog: http://berkeleybionics.com/blog/

Berkeley Bionics (www.berkeleybionics.com) – based in Berkeley, CA and founded in 2005, develops and manufactures powered and artificially intelligent human exoskeletons for military, civilian and medical uses that augment strength, endurance, mobility and injury prevention. In 2008, Berkeley Bionics produced HULC™, an exoskeleton that enables the wearer to carry up to 200 lbs over all kinds of terrain for hours, and signed a licensing agreement with Lockheed Martin Corporation to productize it in January 2009.

Unveiled in October 2010, and five years in development by Berkeley Bionics, eLEGS Pro was #3 in CNN’s “Top Ten Innovations of 2010,” #2 in Wired’s “Top Ten Gadgets of 2010,” and one of TIME’s “50 Best Inventions of 2010.”

eLEGS Pro is a ready-to-wear, battery-powered exoskeleton that is strapped over the user’s clothing. The user initiates the steps by triggering non-invasive movement sensors in the crutches that communicate with the computer carried in the backpack. The patient doesn’t bear the weight, however, as the device transfers its load directly to the ground. eLEGS Pro provides unprecedented knee flexion, which translates into the most natural human gait available in any exoskeleton today. The device can be adjusted in a few minutes to fit most people weighing 220 pounds or less, and between 5’2” and 6’2”, with at least partial upper body strength.

Investigational trials of the eLEGS Pro device are already underway or about to commence in leading charter rehabilitation centers.

The first ten participating centers in the U.S. are:

Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Allentown, PA
Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ
Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, NY
RIM Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, MI
Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA
Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, MA
TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, TX