This Helpful Robot Could Reduce Your Knee Pain Meet the Ascend Wearable Robotic Knee Orthosis Fifty years ago, folks expected 2021 to feature flying cars and food pills — but did they predict knee robots? We don’t think so! Defying expectations, the San Francisco-based company Roam Robotics debuted a brand-new smart knee brace this summer that could be a game-changer for knee osteoarthritis patients. Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that impacts millions of people every year. Major symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling, and a lack of mobility. Leg braces have long been an option to help reduce that pain by taking pressure off the joint, but the Ascend Wearable Robotic Knee Orthosis isn’t just a brace. It’s a “wearable robot” that takes the benefits of a brace to the next level. Where other braces are static, this smart brace uses algorithms to predict wearer actions and adjust itself throughout the day for maximum pain relief. It also has a lightweight carbon fiber shell, rechargeable batteries, a smartphone-like display, and built-in sensors that “detect user intention in real time to extend and flex the knee and help overcome weakness through precise stabilization.” One clinical study showed the Ascend reduced the pain of knee osteoarthritis patients by 46% on average, and another found more than 65% of participants experienced improved mobility with the brace. It’s a potential substitute for knee replacement surgery. The downside of the Ascend is its cost. According to PCMag, the brace will go for $7,000, although 50%–100% of that cost should be covered by Medicare or private insurance. Still, it is exciting to see a high-tech device come on the market for osteoarthritis sufferers, who could use it alongside physical therapy and other treatments. The future really is here, and it’s likely more companies will follow in Roam’s footsteps. As Roam Robotics CEO Tim Swift told NPR, “I believe we have the ability to change the relationship that people have with robots on a scale that has really never been considered. Our goal is not to build cyborgs. It’s to make people more human than they ever were before.”
Santa Goes to the Dark Side
HowWe Helped Our Client Beat a Liar No one wants to get in a car wreck. But if you do wind up in one, the last person you want on the other side of your steering wheel is a liar. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to our client Faith Martinez. On the day of the crash, Faith was less than a mile from home. She was sitting at a red light, patiently waiting for it to turn green, when it happened — a giant lifted truck careened into her rear bumper. “My back end was completely crushed,” she remembers. Luckily (or so she thought), the person who crashed into her was a nice older man who looked just like Santa Claus. “I wasn’t hurting at the time; I was mostly in shock because I was in an accident, and he was like, ‘We don’t have to call the cops or anything! Everything is good. I’ll just give you my information and you can give me yours,’” Faith recalls. Faith was stunned when her insurance company called her days later. The man had reached out to them — and claimed the crash was Faith’s fault! He even demanded she pay for repairs to his truck.
Faith called us for help, and we committed 110% to helping her navigate this unfortunate situation.
“From the very beginning, Packard was so sweet to me. They called me when I went to my appointments and sent appointment reminders. They were so awesome from the beginning, and they stayed that way through the whole process. They went over every little detail to help me understand what was going on and kept me in the loop, even calling just to check on me,” Faith says.
It was the least we could do! After months of fighting, we won Faith’s case and argued for the maximum compensation.
“Packard never stopped caring, they never stopped trying, and they really wanted what was best for me. Even when it came down to the end, right before I signed my final papers, the team was like, ‘We’ll get you more [money]; we’ll fight harder.’ They did, and we won!” she says.
This summer, the FDA approved the brace, and it should be for sale this winter. To learn more, visit Ascend.health .
Today, Faith is back to her normal life and driving her dream car — a Dodge Challenger. Even against liars, justice always wins out!
2 PACKARDFIRM.COM
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