The Lazarus Device

Named after the friend of Jesus who was raised from the dead, the Lazarus device will restore life to limbs whose motor function has been lost due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, athletic injury, and surgery.

The Lazarus will be a fully self contained, wearable, rehabilitation exoskeleton capable of actuating both the shoulder and elbow. The secret to the Lazarus' mobility and elbow + shoulder actuation is its tendon based actuation system. This system uses motors, worn on the back like a backpack, to pull on tendons which are placed strategically on the forearm and bicep. With 6 of these motors and tendons running at once, smooth actuation of the shoulder and elbow joints is enabled.

The tendon based actuation technology was originally developed by NASA to provide DARPA with an exoskeleton to improve the endurance and strength of US soldiers. NASA engineers later realized that the technology is better suited for rehabilitation, so Rise Technologies LLC licensed the technology to bring it to you.

Adjustable

The Lazarus will be a "one-size-fits-all" device being adjustable to fit the 5th to 95th percentile US adult male in terms of waist circumference, arm circumference, torso height, arm length, and arm weight. This range covers the vast majority of US females as well.

Mobile

Unlike most rehabilitation devices on the market, the Lazarus is wearable, mobile, and completely self-contained. Gone are the days of having to remain in one spot during your rehabilitation sessions.

Effective

The Lazarus will be able to provide a near full range of motion to your shoulder and elbow joints allowing you to practice many everyday movements.

Early Concept Device Renders

Three Modes of Operation

Assistance / Resistance

In this mode, the Lazarus will utilize wearable force sensors placed in contact with your skin to "feel" the movement in your muscles. The device will then take the muscle movement data and feed it to an artificial intelligence which will compare the incoming data to previously collected data and make a prediction on the movement you are trying to make. The device can be set to provide a custom set magnitude of assistance for practicing certain movement or provide a custom set magnitude of resistance to build strength.

Pre-Programmed Movements

In this mode, particular movements can be programmed into the Lazarus by moving the arms of the wearer. The motors will only provide enough torque to keep the tension in the actuation tendons while the arm is being moved and use their built in sensors to measure how many rotations the pulleys make and at what speeds. This data will be stored which allows that specific movement to be recalled with press of a button on a separate device such as a laptop or tablet with no input from the wearer.

Mapped

On a separate device with a touch screen such as a tablet or laptop, an arm movement can be mapped with a stylus and the exoskeleton will preform that movement without any input from the wearer

Planned Lazarus Specifications

Weight: 28 lbs

Adjustable Compatibility: 5th - 95th percentile US Adult Male (Waist Circumference, arm circumference, arm weight, arm length, torso height)

Lifting Capability: 1 lb in hand fully extended 90 degrees outward. (Individuals with lighter and shorter arms can carry more weight in hand, chart will come soon)

Actuation Speed: >60 degrees per second

Elbow Actuation Range: 160 degrees

Shoulder Actuation Range: 180 degrees vertical, 100 degrees horizontal

Battery Endurance: 1 hr at max operation

Operational Temperature Range: 45 degrees Fahrenheit - 85 degrees Fahrenheit

Expected Noise Level: 55 dB

(Note: The specifications may change as the device moves through design iterations.)

(Note: The design of the device will likely change slightly as the device goes through design iterations. The renders on this page exist as a concept of what the device will most likely look like.)