September 4, 2017

Dutch man walks with exoskeleton

Filed under: Design,Science by Orangemaster @ 9:58 pm

Students of the Delft University of Technology have designed an exoskeleton for a paralysed Dutch man who cannot use his legs. Their goal is to help people with a transverse lesion carry out daily activities in more than just a wheelchair.

The student team Project MARCH that developed the exoskeleton wants to play a role in collecting data on exoskeletons in order to get a better idea of the added value this technology has to offer as compared to the use of wheelchairs.

Early this year the students unveiled the design and last week the man tried out the exoskeleton the students made for him. Check out the video of the man walking again here (in Dutch).

Sometime in October Project MARCH will showcase the exoskeleton with the man in it at an international competition.

(Links and photo: nos.nl, www.tudelft.nl)

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March 29, 2012

Disabled Dutchman in Paris makes a film about love and getting around

Filed under: Film by Orangemaster @ 7:48 am

“I got the idea for this film from a trip I made in my wheelchair through Europe a few years ago. And I noticed that Paris really stuck out as a ‘wheelchair enemy’.”

Ironically called ‘Rue des Invalides’, named after a street in Paris (well OK, boulevard) or the metro station of the same name, which in turn refers to a hotel that houses war invalids, this clip features Mari Sanders who wants to make a film about a guy in a wheelchair falling in love in Paris, with a good dose of humour.

In fact, besides pointing out that they have no budget whatsoever, watch Mari try and get up stairs for real with more energy than most non invalid people have. We’re not used to seeing this, but I know I want to see his film already, regardless. Thanks Mari for reminding us that we take strolling around Paris for granted.

I always thought Amsterdam was wheelchair unfriendly – let’s be honest, all of Europe was never built for cars or anyone in a wheelchair – but I had never stopped to think how bad Paris is.

(Link: www.geenstijl.nl)

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