Modern technology is able to do some truly incredible things. One of the most life changing examples of this for former jockey who became paralyzed from the waist down due to a horse accident was a ReWalk Personal Exoskeleton.
This is a robotic piece of equipment that allowed him to regain the ability to walk using an exoskeleton that attached to his legs and upper body.
Unfortunately, one of the parts of this piece of equipment recently malfunctioned, causing the entire device to become unusable. Naturally, he reached out to Lifeward, which is the company that made the device.
Rather than helping him, the company responded that the exoskeleton was too old and they would not repair it, according to a report.
The issue was that a small wire that connected the equipment to the device he wore on his wrist to control it came loose. It should have been a fairly easy fix, though due to the fact that it is a specialized piece of equipment it should be done by the manufacturers.
The jockey, Michael Straight, took to Facebook where he said:
“After 371,091 steps my exoskeleton is being retired after 10 years of unbelievable physical therapy. The reasons why it has stopped is a pathetic excuse for a bad company to try to make more money. I find it very hard to believe after paying nearly $100,000 for the machine and training that a $20 battery for the watch is the reason I can’t walk anymore.”
On the one hand, companies that create this type of life changing tech need to be able to make money so they can continue to develop new and exciting things that will benefit many people. On the other, someone should not lose the ability to walk because of a very simple and inexpensive part that needs to be repaired.
Not surprisingly, once Straight’s post started to go viral and he was invited on some local news stories, the company stepped up and offered to fix the problem. He is now able to walk again using his exoskeleton, but what would happen if he hadn’t been able to get the public outcry on his side?
Most people don’t have a large social media following, so that leaves them more at risk of being ignored by the big companies behind this type of technology.
This is likely an issue that will become more common in the future as more people are able to benefit from advanced technologies, which also puts them at the mercy of the companies that make them.
I can’t imagine losing the ability to walk due to a small wiring issue.
If you enjoyed that story, check out what happened when a guy gave ChatGPT $100 to make as money as possible, and it turned out exactly how you would expect.