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Enduro has been selected as a presenter at the World's Best Technologies Showcase* in Arlington, Texas in March. |
Enduro Medical Technology used NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s cable-compliant joint (CCJ) technology and compliant walker to develop the Secure Ambulation Module (SAM). SAM is a revolutionary rehabilitative walker enabling patients to stand and ambulate without the aid of a physical therapist. The walker is currently being used to help soldiers and other patients with a variety of injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center* gain strength to stand and walk on their own. SAM is also being used to help severely overweight patients at Kindred Hospital* in Greensboro, NC support their own body weight to enable exercise programs. Enduro has also built and tested a prototype of a youth version of the walker (SAM-Y) and plans to develop an equine prototype for use in horse rehabilitation. Benefits of Technology Transfer The technology invented at NASA and developed for commercial use by Enduro Medical Technology enhances quality of care and safety for both patients and therapists, and also offers potential to drastically aid equine rehabilitation:
About Enduro Medical Technology Headquartered in South Windsor, CT, Enduro Medical Technology was founded in 2002 as a small company focused on designing and manufacturing custom wheelchairs. In 2003, the company narrowed its focus to concentrate fully on SAM and other CCJ technology-based rehabilitative devices. Technology Origins In the 1980s, NASA required a technology that would facilitate mechanical isolation of sounding rocket assemblies as well as provide compliance for robots to grip or join objects. As part of this robotics research, the late James Kerley developed the cable-compliant joint (CCJ) technology, which provided customizable structural connections and selective, subtle cushioning, twisting, and alignment in six directions, allowing contact surfaces to be joined together. Finding a New Use While the CCJ technology answered NASA’s requirements, it was readily clear that the subtle movement the technology facilitated could easily be extended to other applications. In the 1990s, researchers at Goddard integrated the CCJ technology into a patented walker that supported the pelvis and provided compliance that imitated hip joint movement. Suffering from arthritis, Kerley realized that pain management could be achieved by using the walker to alleviate weight on the legs to facilitate greater mobility. Goddard licensed the technology to Enduro, giving birth to the SAM walker for humans. After establishing the device’s use and benefits for human rehabilitation, Enduro engineers began to engage in discussions with doctors at nationally renowned veterinary hospitals. Interest among this community was high and convinced Enduro that the CCJ-based technology could also be incorporated into a rehabilitative device designed specifically for horses. The Transfer Process In 2003, Enduro Medical Technology learned of the compliant walker through industry peers who were using a prototype of Goddard’s technology. Realizing the market potential of the device, Enduro contacted Goddard and then worked with the Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office to license the technologies. The company then completed the project by modifying the cable-compliant system into an advanced walker with a flexible harness that embraces the lower torso. Doing so enabled the device to support a patient without the aid of a physical therapist. In February 2007, Enduro secured a new field-of-use license from Goddard to develop SAM-Equine. Looking Ahead While SAM is showing remarkable results for patients at Walter Reed and Kindred Hospital, Enduro continues to invest in further development and exploration of CCJ technology-based devices. A “Sit-To-Stand” unit, also based on CCJ technology, is being used to help patients stand on their own. The company also has released and tested a prototype of SAM-Y and is working to insert the youth version into the marketplace. In addition, ongoing efforts to secure funding will enable the building of a prototype of SAM-Equine, and the company currently plans to work on the equine industry requirements with the University of Georgia’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Contact Innovative Partnerships Program Office |
On the Record “We saw using this cable compliant mechanism as a way to really improve and revolutionize how physical therapy is done for patients.” “The [IPP] Office was key in terms of helping find a company that was willing to develop the walker into a final product that could be tested and eventually marketed and hopefully employed in every hospital in the country and the world one day.” “I think there’s a change in confidence and almost like a change in hope for someone who hasn’t been able to walk for a long time andwith the assistance of SAMis actually able to get up and ambulate and propel themselves on their own.” "We have two SAMs, and are currently using one to aid a gentleman who is over 600 pounds. Bariatric patients in long-term acute facilities like ours are bedridden and have not used their legs for quite some time. Their legs cannot support their body weight. SAM helps us to help them strengthen their whole lower body. The technology has a lot of promise." + Read more about SAM's success + See Compliant Cable Technology page + View SAM video + Download printable Success Story |
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