A Canadian company has rolled out a wearable device to help people with mobility issues counteract the ravages of aging and disease.
According to Kristy Fredericks, business development manager for HME Mobility & Accessibility, Keeogo is a device which features sensors placed at the knee and hip joints that read a person’s body position and desired movement.
The device, which Fredericks said costs around $50,000, features so-called dermo-skeleton technology.
“Its like having a second layer of skin on,” Fredericks said. “This can be used in someone’s house or at work or that sort of thing.”
Vancouver Island resident Paul Lazenby uses the Keeogo. A former Canadian Armed Forces diver, Lazenby found his muscles significantly deteriorated over the years. He quit his job and later found out he has a rare genetic condition called Kennedy’s disease.
“There’s no treatment and there is no cure,” Lazenby said.
He said his Keeogo gives him hope.
“I don’t think people can understand how much difference it makes,” Lazenby said.
Clinical trials are underway to get FDA approval to sell the device in the U.S. For now, it’s only available in Canada.
“Being that it’s so new to B.C., we have really only launched since January, we are hopeful that some of the private insurance companies or some of the third-party funders like WorkSafeBC may see value in this product and give at least partial funding,” Fredericks said.