CETA Introduces Rehabilitation Device

The Ambulatory Suspension and Rehabilitation Apparatus (“Gait Keeper”) is a new medical device that can be used in physical therapy for people with movement disorders and musculoskeletal and nervous system injuries and diseases. The patient is supported upright in a body harness suspended by a cable attached to an overhead computer-controlled mechanical trolley that follows the moving person. Sensors attached to the suspension cable direct the trolley’s movements in all directions, including up and down, thereby preventing falls and providing a prescribed level of support. The therapist does not have to support the patient and so can attend to the patient’s needs. Gait Keeper is operated by the therapist through a computer interface.

The Gait Keeper was developed by Professor Devdas Shetty and research engineer Claudio Campana, along with engineering students, in CETA at the University of Hartford in collaboration with Dr. Avital Fast, Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Ongoing clinical and biomechanical research is being conducted by Dr. Kevin Ball, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Hartford and Dr. Fast in New York City. Dr. Thomas Carnow, Director of the Digital Health Technology Program at the University of Hartford, is responsible for promoting research collaborations and managing all patent and commercialization activities.

Dr. Shetty climbing stairs while supported by the Gait Keeper.

Gait Keeper can be used for different patient populations, including people with Parkinson’s Disease and the elderly with brain atrophy who have lost the ability to walk. Since it decreases the amount of weight born by the extremities, it can benefit patients after joint replacement surgery and patients with spinal cord injuries. Another important use is to provide exercise for patients with general body weakness or those recovering from surgery. It assists the therapist and clinician during motion and gait therapy and helps patients regain strength, function and mobility.

For additional information about the Gait Keeper, please contact Dr. Lou Manzione, Dean of CETA, or Dr. Carnow, Digital Health Technology Program (manzione@hartford.edu or carnow@hartford.edu).