New robotic suit aims to get spinal injury patients walking again at home

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * At least 18 years old * Chronic SCI (\>6 months) * Injury at levels T1 to L5 (AIS A to D) * Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI) score 0 until 9 * Height between 150-200 cm * Weight less than 100 kg * Capable of giving informed consent on their own * Able to train (at least) 3 days/week * Able to have at least 1 companion / buddy who can attend a minimum of two of the training sessions, besides the final assessment, and who will learn how to assist them at home and in the community (ideally two companions) * Proficiency in walking with the ABLE Exoskeleton * At least 8 weeks with minimal use (less than 5 sessions) of wearable robotic exoskeletons for gait assistance at the start of the study. Exclusion Criteria: * High risk of fractures due to osteoporosis, a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)-scan at the hip, distal femur, and proximal tibia BMD score * Fragility fractures of the lower limbs in the last 2 years * Deterioration \>3 in the International Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI (ISNCSCI) score in the last 4 weeks * Spinal instability, like spondylolisthesis * Disorders of the arms and hands that make walking with crutches impossible * Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) \>3 in lower limbs * Cardiovascular health issues which prevent the participant from training * Instability to tolerate 10 minutes of standing without clinical symptoms of orthostatic hypotension * Psychological, cognitive issues, or any other condition that does not allow a participant to follow study procedures * Medically unstable due to severe comorbidities, including any condition that a physician deems inappropriate for completing study participation * Skin problems in areas that would be in contact with the device * Height, width, weight, or other anatomical limitations (such as differences in leg length) incompatible with the device * Insufficient joint range of motion (ROM) for the device * Known pregnancy