Ascend (knee prosthesis)

2021: Announcement of a device that reduces knee pain

At the end of June 2021, Roam Robotics of San Francisco introduced the Ascend smart knee prosthesis, designed to reduce pain in people with osteoarthritis or knee injuries.

According to the developers, Ascend is an orthopedic prosthesis specifically designed for people who have exhausted the possibilities of pain relief with physical therapy and traditional staples. Ascend is made of plastic and fabric, not metal, so it is characterized by a small weight, only 1 kg, and uses air compression to support the knee and relieve stress from the quadriceps muscle. Roam Robotics claims that using Ascend allows you to postpone the need for operational intervention or even completely avoid it.

Collar prosthesis Ascend

A smart prosthesis helps the patient when lowering or getting up from a sitting position or on crusts, as well as when lifting and descending stairs. The user can also select the support level and switch between different modes using the remote control.

In the end, the goal of such a robot is that the user does not feel like a ward of the machine, on the contrary, he should feel that everything is in his hands, "said Tim Swift, CEO of Roam Robotics.

Ascend is equipped with a smart backpack that weighs about 4.5 kg. It is equipped with processors that recognize user-made movements, and then allow the prosthesis to provide the correct support for the necessary group of muscles. The smart unit also comprises a battery and an air compressor. Depending on the level of activity, the prosthesis can work uninterrupted for about two hours with a single charge. The companion app also allows you to assess how patient mobility changes over time.^[1]

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