Wollongong-based firm enabling quadriplegics to walk again

Today, Mr Hillyer is able to walk over 200 metres in six minutes thanks to Australian-first technology delivered out of iAccelerate at the University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus.

To walk and regain limb function, Mr Hillyer uses a robotic exoskeleton from Cyberdyne and, working with wife Maryanne Harris, the pair have founded a start-up named Robofit to bring the technology to others in the Illawarra and Australia.

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In 2012, two years after the accident, Ms Harris and Mr Hillyer went to a medical conference in Germany where they first came across Cyberdyne.

"Four months later we went over to Japan to use the Cyberdyne product. We went there for three weeks, and saw great results," Ms Harris said.

At the start of the program, Mr Hillyer could walk between four to six metres with the assistance of a frame. After 21 days Mr Hillyer could do three laps of the 26m track.

"For three weeks it was quite astonishing and amazing," he said.

Nine years later, following accreditation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration and training with the manufacturer in Japan, the couple founded Robofit in Wollongong in 2021.

"Innovation like this seems to only ever happen in hospitals, but our clients live in a community and sometimes going back to the hospital after someone has spent 10 months isn't the thing that they really want to do," Ms Harris said.

Just under a year out from starting, Robofit is planning to move into a purpose built centre also in the Illawarra, to expand its services to those in the Illawarra and clients from interstate.

What distinguishes the technology used by Robofit from other robotic systems is the concept of working with the patient, rather than for the patient.

The exoskeleton takes its cues from the individual via electrodes placed on their skin which read signals from the brain. The exoskeleton then assists the body to complete the desired movement and provides feedback to the individual and trainer about which muscles are responding to the signals from the brain.

For example, Mr Hillyer found his brain was firing his bicep, rather than his tricep. Using this information the device and trainer could focus on the tricep to rebuild the muscle and the connections to the brain.

In 2021, during lockdown, Mr Hillyer completed a 12 week program with the technology that saw him further improve his ability to move. Not only is Mr Hillyer more mobile, but the treatment has assisted with bowel and bladder function, a major issue for those with a spinal cord injury.

Now, Mr Hillyer no longer needs in-home care which he describes as "fantastic".

In addition to spinal cord injuries such as those suffered by Mr Hillyer, Robofit also assists those who have had a stroke, brain injury or are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Further development of the technology will enable it to assist those with degenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and motor neurone diseases.

While the exoskeleton has been effective in cases such as Mr Hillyer, where the patient has lived with restricted movement for some years, deploying the technology in a hospital where patients are in the early part of their journey and before the loss of muscle mass or osteoporosis could provide further recovery potential.

For now, as Mr Hillyer and others get back on their feet with the help of Robofit, Ms Harris said the technology is another tool to assist in an individual's recovery.

"It's not going to work for everyone, but it can assist the therapist and get real time data on what's happening below the skin," said Ms Harris.

As Mr Hillyer and Ms Harris assist others, the technology has had a personal impact for them. After years of recovery, the couple were able to share a dance at their wedding.

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