Injured Humboldt Broncos player walks again using exoskeleton

It’s been seven years since the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash claimed 16 lives and injured 13 others

On Thursday, former Broncos player Ryan Straschnitzki, took his first solo steps thanks to the world’s most advanced exoskeleton.

The new technology from Human in Motion Robotic’s is called the XoMotion device. It was put on display at Calgary’s Synaptic Spinal Cord Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Centre and aims to help people with spinal injuries.

“It’s incredible to do anything hands-free,” says Straschnitzki. “I get to hold a hockey stick and throw a football.”

The device is the first of its kind to be used clinically anywhere in the world. And for the people using it, the impact goes far beyond movement.

“When I was 18 years old and I had my spinal cord injury, I didn’t know if I was going be independent, or be able to live on my own,” Straschnitzky says. “But, over the years as I’ve learned from a lot of mistakes and a lot of the technology coming out, I’ve realized that I will have an independent life.

“Science and technology is advancing every day to the point where I might walk again on my own someday. “

The found of Straz Strong, Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down after the crash in 2018.

On Thursday, he was stick handling and passing again, and even throwing a football around.

“I gotta learn how to two-step in this thing, someone here’s going to teach me and maybe I’ll bring it to Stampede, who knows?” he says.

The co-founder of Synaptic says for some who use the exoskeleton, it may be their first standing in years without the support of another person.

“Most of us, we get out of bed, we don’t think that that is difficult,” says Uyen Nguyen, the centre’s executive director. “For some of our people here, this is the first time since injury, it could be seven years, it could be 10 years.”

“So for them to be able to stand up hands free, move around and control that movement….the emotional wealth and health from that, it’s astounding.”

For now, the exoskeletons will be used in clinics, but the Canadian company says the goal is to make them for personal use as well. 

The cost of the exoskeleton is about $400,000.

With files from The Canadian Press