Babies who are at risk of developing cerebral palsy could be helped by a robotic “onesie”, designed by a team at the University of Oklahoma, US.
The motorised exoskeleton, which is attached to the baby via a harness and skateboard-type-crawler, helps young children develop motor and cognitive skills and promotes early movement.
With power steering, the Self-Initiated Prone Progression Crawler (SIPPC) device gives babies a push towards early walking and crawling on the level of their peers.
Not only that, but it allows doctors to monitor the child’s movement and brain activity on a 3D scanner.
Cerebral palsy affects movement and muscle coordination and is diagnosed in every two children in 1000 born in the UK, according to Cerebral Palsy UK.
Therapy to reverse the effects of the disease must start as early as possible, but most children are not diagnosed until they are at least one-year-old.
Trials are currently ongoing with 56 infants in America, and the scientists admit there is much more to be done before it is more widely available to patients.
The new technology is enabling detection in babies as young as two months old, giving them the best start in life.
