Bionic Knee Brace

March 17, 2016, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The Toronto Star reported this week about a new style of knee brace invented in Canada. it's similar to the off loader knee brace commonly seen on athletes and people with knee problems, but this is a brace with a big difference.  It enhances the muscular ability of the wearer reducing fatigue. They are currently designing a hefty version for use in the Canadian Armed Forces as well.

The Levitation Brace weighs just about 1 kg. It’s designed to harness energy when you bend your knee and then to release the energy when you straighten your leg. Chris Cowper-Smith CEO of Spring Loaded Technology says “It packs the power of a robotic exoskeleton, but it’s roughly one-hundredth of the cost”. He and His co-developer Bob Garrish came up with the idea for the brace while they were both PhD candidates at Dalhousie University. They both suffer from knee problems and were looking and talking about how to improve the traditional knee braces that they were both familiar with.

The light-weight carbon fibre brace can be worn over or under clothing. It has a strong enough spring to assist wearers extend their legs, increasing the power of quadriceps muscles while also providing stability to the joint.

The civilian version is designed to be sold to athletes in rehab, manual labourers, and people with worn out knees will be about $2500 which makes it a bit more expensive than many others in the prescription knee brace market. They have successfully raised over $2 million from investors and an Indiegogo campaign, along with a military contract of over $1 million.

The pair are currently perfecting their production line and employ 15 people. They’ve made hundreds of prototype braces and are hoping to enter the traditional retail market in the next 12 months.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.