Member Spotlight
BY DEBORAH CONN
COMPANY:
OWNERS:
LOCATION:
HISTORY:
Bionic Power
Privately held
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
16 years
Bracing With Biofeedback Gualtiero Guadagni
A child uses the Agilik smart orthosis.
Why I’m an AOPA Member “AOPA provides great opportunities for us to meet orthotists, to expose them to our products, and to get great feedback from them. The recent conference in Indianapolis enabled us to show our devices to the O&P community, and for them to try out our Agilik and test drive it for themselves.” —Rob Nathan, marketing manager
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O&P Almanac January 2024
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Canadian company offers a smart orthosis with assistive and resistive properties
ionic Power, founded in 2007 to commercialize technology developed at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, initially focused on military uses. The company had developed a powered orthotic device that improved endurance and reduced fatigue in soldiers by augmenting the natural walking movement. In addition, the exoskeleton used passive movement of the knee to create electrical current, providing a reliable source of electricity in remote locations. “Unfortunately, the original concept didn’t fly because of changes in battery technology,” explains Chief Executive Officer Gualtiero Guadagni, who joined Bionic Power in 2021. Guadagni, with 23 years of experience in medical devices, came on board after the company changed lanes in 2019 and began to use the same technology to develop an orthosis for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Bionic Power began working with Thomas Bulea, PhD, an investigator in the Functional & Applied Biomechanics Section of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Given that Bulea’s studies focus on the use of wearable smart orthoses for children with CP, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy, the technology at Bionic Power piqued his interest. Bionic Power entered into a clinical research and development agreement with NIH, which created an algorithm and adapted the technology. “We developed a lightweight motor and generator, the strapping system, lightweight shells, and controlling electronics,” says Guadagni. “We combined these with the gait state machine, or GSM, developed by Dr. Bulea and his team.” The result is the Agilik smart orthosis, a mobility device that offers dynamic knee assistance and resistance when needed during the patient’s gait. The Agilik is appropriate for anyone 5 years or older. It is lightweight, easy to don and doff, and can be customized for each patient and adjusted as they grow or their condition changes, according to Guadagni. When using the Agilik, the user initiates any assistance from the device—a feature that differentiates the device from other powered exoskeletons, says
Guadagni. “The Agilik doesn’t control the gait; it only gives it a boost. This increased activity helps users develop better motor control. “According to research, about half of adolescents with CP who can walk will be unable to do so by early or middle adulthood,” says Guadagni. “We hope to stop or even reverse this deterioration by reducing crouch gait, increasing extension, and strengthening their legs.” For example, someone in crouch gait “is unable to fully extend the knee in stance phase,” he explains. “The device recognizes the different phases and in early stance can support weight loading of the patient by resisting flexion. Then the device’s sensors recognize the change from mid to late stance and can assist that, helping to speed propulsion of the gait, and then help the wearer extend in late swing. Microprocessors use biofeedback on each gait phase, adding assistive or resistive torque as needed.” Bionic Power has 12 employees in Vancouver, as well as several contractors. Guadagni is based in Toronto as the company plans to expand to the east coast. The company is working to obtain a Medicare code for its product while NIH continues clinical trials of the device. In the meantime, Bionic Power has a demonstration unit that physiotherapists and orthotists may use with patients who would like to try the device. The company sells directly to orthotists and central fabricators. Initial marketing efforts have involved attending trade shows and approaching orthotists and physical therapists. “In the future, we hope to establish a partnership with someone that has a sales force in place,” Guadagni says. As technology continues to evolve, Guadagni sees the Agilik as at the forefront of that trend. “There is nothing similar to our device right now—we have the only assistive and resistive orthosis. The possibilities for future development of the device are endless. Because it is so small and light, it can be extended to other joints, so we can think about making an elbow, wrist, or hip orthosis based on the same technology.” Deborah Conn is a contributing writer to O&P Almanac. Reach her at deborahconn@verizon.net.
PHOTO CREDITS: BIONIC POWER