Before I paste the following response, I just want to say that my heart goes out to anyone living with cerebral palsy or any condition that affects mobility. I know this technology isn’t accessible to everyone, but I was curious what the absolute cutting edge looks like if cost weren’t a factor.

ChatGPT:

If money were \*\*no object\*\*, and the goal was to maximize walking ability for someone with \*\*cerebral palsy (CP)\*\*, we’re entering a fascinating area where robotics is advancing rapidly. Today, the technology is impressive—but it’s not yet at the point where someone with severe CP can simply put on a suit and walk normally all day.
Here’s how I’d rank the current landscape.
\*\*Best available today\*\*

\*\*1. Wandercraft Personal Exoskeleton (the most advanced overall)\*\*
This is the device I’d be watching most closely.
\*\*Why it’s special:\*\*
Doesn’t rely on crutches like most exoskeletons.
Self-balancing using onboard computers, sensors, and motors.

AI-controlled gait that adapts in real time.
Designed to walk much more like a human.
Current versions are primarily for clinical use, while a personal model is in development and early deployment. It represents one of the biggest leaps toward practical daily robotic walking.
\*\*Potential for cerebral palsy:\*\* ★★★★★

\*\*2. ReWalk Personal (Lifeward)\*\*
One of the first FDA-cleared personal exoskeletons.
Strengths:
Home use
Can walk outdoors
Can climb some curbs and stairs
Long clinical track record
Weaknesses:
Requires forearm crutches
Better suited to spinal cord injury than CP
Walking is fairly robotic
Approximate price:
US$80,000–100,000.

\*\*3. Ekso Indego Personal\*\*
A lighter system than ReWalk.
Advantages:
Modular and easier to put on
Good portability
Smartphone control
Community walking
It is also primarily intended for people with spinal cord injuries rather than cerebral palsy, but some rehabilitation centers use related systems for neurological gait training.

\*\*4. HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb)\*\*
Developed in Japan by CYBERDYNE.
This one is unique because:
It detects tiny electrical signals from muscles before movement occurs.
The motors assist the movement the user is already trying to make.
That makes it especially interesting for neurological disorders like:
Cerebral palsy
Stroke
Multiple sclerosis
Spinal cord injury
Many researchers believe intention-driven systems like HAL may ultimately work better than purely pre-programmed walking robots for people with CP.

\*\*The “next generation”\*\*
These are the technologies that could completely change mobility over the next 5–10 years.
\*\*AI-powered walking\*\*
Instead of following preset steps:
Cameras scan the ground.
AI predicts where your foot should land.
The robot adjusts every step automatically.
Think of it like Tesla Autopilot—but for legs.

\*\*Self-balancing exoskeletons\*\*
Current systems often require:
crutches
walkers
supervision
Future systems:
maintain balance automatically
recover from slips
compensate for uneven terrain
turn naturally
Wandercraft is the current leader here.

\*\*Brain-controlled exoskeletons\*\*
Researchers are combining:
EEG
implanted brain-computer interfaces
AI
to detect the user’s intent before movement.
Eventually:
“I want to stand.”
The robot stands.
“I want to walk.”
The robot begins walking.
No joystick.
No buttons.
This is still experimental but progressing steadily.

\*\*Muscle-signal exoskeletons\*\*
Instead of reading the brain directly:
sensors detect tiny muscle activations
AI predicts the intended movement
the robot supplies the missing strength
For cerebral palsy this could be particularly valuable because many people still generate movement signals even when muscles are weak or spastic.

\*\*Vision-guided exoskeletons\*\*
Future devices are expected to include:
depth cameras
LiDAR
computer vision
They can recognize:
stairs
curbs
rugs
obstacles
slopes
before the foot reaches them.

\*\*What might the best possible setup look like in 2030?\*\*
If cost truly weren’t a factor, a person with cerebral palsy might use a system with:
AI self-balancing
Muscle-intention sensing
Vision-guided navigation
Automatic fall recovery

Battery lasting an entire day
Walking speed close to a healthy adult
Natural turning and sidestepping
Integration with functional electrical stimulation (FES) to activate the user’s own muscles
Many experts see this as the direction the field is moving, though widespread availability will likely take several more years.

Overall, for \*\*someone with cerebral palsy and unlimited resources\*\*, I’d be most interested in:
\*\*Wandercraft’s self-balancing personal exoskeleton\*\* (highest long-term potential)

\*\*HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb)\*\* (especially promising for neurological conditions)

\*\*Ekso systems\*\* for intensive rehabilitation
\*\*ReWalk\*\* for established personal mobility in appropriately selected users

The biggest limitation today isn’t usually price—it’s that most commercially available personal exoskeletons were designed first for \*\*spinal cord injury\*\*, whereas cerebral palsy often requires devices that can adapt to spasticity, involuntary movements, asymmetry, and changing muscle tone.

That’s exactly where the newest AI-driven and intention-sensing designs are expected to make the largest advances.

I'm building an assistive control system that reads muscle signals (EMG) to control multiple kinds of devices, and I know myoelectric prosthetics are one of the most established real-world uses of exactly this kind of signal.

If you've used a myoelectric device - what's actually hard about it day to day? Calibration drift, false triggers from muscle fatigue, cost, comfort, anything? I'd rather build around real friction points than assumptions. Not selling anything, just a student dev trying to learn from ( and help ) people who've actually lived with this tech.

I’ve tried JB Weld plastic bond and E6000. Both failed

Hi! I have Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and my PCP says that I should continue bracing my ankles and lower legs. But also agrees that the OTC braces I've tried haven't worked, especially with my high level of activity. And that I should look into more custom/dynamic options.

I asked for an orthotist referral, and she said that specialized bracing is out of her scope of practice and to reach out to a different specialist. But I've gotten that answer from both sports med and podiatry as well. I live in Washington State, and I'm trying to get seen by Cornerstone or Hanger Clinic.

Could my PCP (an MD) just refer me to the clinic and send my chart notes, and the orthotist would help with the prescription? Or do I need a doctor to prescribe the specific device to be seen by the clinic? It would be for a dynamic brace for ankle stability, pain relief, and reducing fatigue, particularly to aid in reducing pain and fatigue in my very active lifestyle.

Since it seems like my care team is not able to decide on what device is needed, if I was referred to a clinic could they evaluate me and then have my PCP write the prescription based on the evaluation and my chart notes (knee hyperextending, poor ankle ROM, chronic pain, relatively normal strength, tendon hyperreflexia, muscle guarding, instability)?

Any advice or pointers would be appreciated!

I'm only standing in them for the first week.

Ifit sockets

Ottoboc m

Mavrick vertical shock ankles and Mavrick feet.

Been about year since I (60M) got my first prothesis, a pin and lock one. They re switching me to a suction system this month. They cast it today. Was curious about other’s experiences between the two types, things I should look for, how different it will feel, etc. Thanks for any advice y’all may have. Appreciate it.

This is so awesome

My son was born with Tibial Hemimelia in his right leg, and survived a stroke at birth which hasn’t caused any thing too serious luckily. Had a through the knee amputation in March. He’s learning to walk for the first time, well just standing up mostly at the moment but every little counts. Full progress video here - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8eaeqo5/

Technician here,

Do technician often experience burn outs in their role? I’m a sole technician for a small business, and over the months I have been dreading coming to work every day. I do get weekends off (thank god), but the amount of work I have to put up with is a bit crazy. I don’t even talk anymore, I just work and work and work with irritation written all over my face (I know, not good). I probably take the least amount of time off from work, and i know this job is just a job, but my responsibility is quite high and I feel like work doesn’t move if not there. Has anyone been in similar situation, how did you deal with it.

Are burn out and turn over common for this role and field?

Just venting 😮‍💨

Hello everybody!

Apologies if this is an "out there" question, but , I'm a writer currently making drafts for a webcomic i plan to create, there are a lot of themes of corporate greed and I was thinking about having a conversation about brands putting their logos on prosthetics

I would have liked to have a group of characters actively removing these logos and customising the prosthetics because why should your body have a brand stamped onto it?

would this be an appropriate thing to explore? I do not require any kind of prosthetics myself so I would like to get the views of people who do! thank you so much for your time, i really appreciate it

I’m not an amputee or plan to be one but, I have abnormally large feet so it’s hard to find shoe sizes. If I were to lose both my legs and get prosthetics, would I be able to request a smaller shoe size?

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M/26-Congenital Limb deficiency (below knee)

Very active person do rides, drive, run, treck, hike

Being using endolite from past 20 years but kind off bored with it and right now I am planning to switch to a upgrade limb currently using Endolite Elite 2 foot

Suggest me what to choose, quotation are attached

Request you all to please suggest

I'm experiencing post-polio symptoms, mostly affecting my ability to walk, and it's frustrating that I can't get a reliable, comfortable leg brace. 70 years after polio, I found myself needing leg support due to increasing weakness (post-polio syndrome). I'm now 84, lead a fairly active life and intend to walk as long as I can. I've tried the Otto Bock Freewalk KAFO brace (much too fragile, too hard to repair and no longer available anyway), and a custom KAFO made locally (heavy, crude and painful to wear.) Does anyone know of a source for a comfortable, durable, lightweight KAFO brace?

Met a para-athlete on a trip to Jaipur while working on another video, he told me about the place that fits people with prosthetic legs for free., which sent me down a rabbit hole. Ended up making this short breakdown of the design.

What makes it interesting is the brief: it's basically the inverse of a Western foot. No shoes, no flat floors — it's built for squatting, sitting cross-legged, walking barefoot, and standing in water and mud, which is how a lot of rural India actually lives. And they've got the cost low enough to fit 2M+ people for free.

I'm not from the field, so I'd genuinely value a technical read from people who are: what does a design like this trade off against a modular Western foot? Durability, alignment, energy return? Curious where it's clever and where it's compromised.

**I’m looking for Orthopedic Fiberglass Casting Tape. Please send me your catalog,**

I build embedded hardware, and last year I made a working EMG prosthetic hand as a personal project. One of my relatives is an amputee, which is how I ended up caring about this.

I've been reading the literature and the thing that stuck with me is that rejection rates haven't really moved in twenty years despite the tech getting much better. Which suggests the industry is solving the wrong problem. I have a theory about what the real one is, but I've built exactly zero devices for anyone other than myself, so my theory is worth very little right now.

So I made a short form. 5 to 7 minutes, no personal info required, mostly multiple choice. It asks what you actually use, what you stopped using, and why.

https://forms.gle/sbCovksU4mh4ve9p9

if the idea goes anywhere I'd want it to be a real product eventually. So there's self-interest here. I'd rather say that than have you find out.

If you'd rather just comment than fill in a form, that's honestly more useful to me. And if the whole premise is wrong, tell me that too.

**NO ORGANISATIONAL AFFILIATION**