Cadence Biomedical is a medical device company that provides orthotic products to help individuals with severe mobility impairments to walk again. The company is located in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, Washington and was founded in 2007 under the name Empowering Engineering Technologies.
Products
Cadence Biomedical released its first product, the
Kickstart Walking System, in August 2012. Kickstart is a wearable device, or
orthosis
Orthotics ( el, Ορθός, translit=ortho, lit=to straighten, to align) is a medical specialty that focuses on the design and application of orthoses, or braces. An is "an externally applied device used to influence the structural and functio ...
, that gives users stability and the ability to walk independently. The device is intended to improve mobility for those in
stroke recovery, or for individuals with neurological injuries such as
spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...
,
traumatic brain injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...
,
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
or
muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...
. It is designed to provide walking assistance and stability for those who have difficulty walking, especially if they experience difficulty lifting their knee, catching toes when taking a step, lack of endurance, or problems with coordination, balance, or stability.
The device uses no external power or batteries to provide assistance,
[/] but functions similarly to
robotic exoskeletons
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...
in that it helps to move the legs forward and augments existing strength. The product was released in 2012 and is available through
orthotists
An orthotist is a healthcare professional who specializes in the provision of orthoses. An orthotist has an overall responsibly of orthotics treatment, who can supervise and mentor the practice of other personnel. They are clinicians trained to as ...
in the United States.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.cadencebiomedical.com/
Mobility devices
Companies based in Seattle