Reversing Muscle Atrophy: Chinese Scientists Make New Progress in Wearable Robots
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Author:小编   

Associate Professor Feng Yanggang from Beihang University, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Peking University Third Hospital, has achieved breakthrough progress in the field of robotics, with relevant research results published in the journal Nature in the form of an Accelerated Article Preview. Focusing on children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type II, the study developed a wearable isokinetic resistance robot weighing only 0.96 kg. This robot can ensure safety while enabling the children's muscles to generate maximum tension throughout the entire range of joint motion. After a 5.5-month clinical trial, including 6 weeks of high-intensity training, six children with SMA type II aged 6-10 achieved significant rehabilitation results. They not only improved their ability to transition from sitting to standing at different angles but also enhanced their lower limb motor abilities, bilateral knee biomechanical functions, with substantial muscle growth and significantly improved nerve conduction and coordination. More encouragingly, these rehabilitation gains were maintained even after the cessation of robot-assisted training. This achievement provides new scientific evidence and hope for precise rehabilitation treatment of neuromuscular diseases.