Orthopedic apparatus for walking and rehabilitating disabled persons including tetraplegic persons and for facilitating and stimulating the revival of comatose patients through the use of electronic and virtual reality units

An orthopedic apparatus comprising:

• an exoskeleton to be attached to a person for active movement of limbs of the person and emulation of human gait;
• a virtual reality unit to be worn by the person, operable to transmit information to the person so as to generate a virtual environment;
• a programmed control unit operably connected to said exoskeleton and said virtual reality unit, operable to control said exoskeleton so as to move said exoskeleton in a movement corresponding to a human gait and to control said virtual reality unit;
• a remote control unit operably connected to said programmed control unit, operable to control both a movement of said exoskeleton and said virtual reality unit via said programmed control unit such that the virtual environment generated by said virtual reality unit corresponds to the movement of said exoskeleton controlled by said remote control so that the movement of said exoskeleton and the virtual environment generated by said virtual reality unit are coordinated.

A method for rehabilitating motor abilities of a patient for use with an exoskeleton controlled by a programmed control unit so as to have a movement corresponding to a human gait, a virtual reality unit, and a remote control unit, said method comprising:

• attaching the exoskeleton to the patient;
• fitting the virtual reality unit to the patient;
• transmitting information to the patient with the virtual reality unit so as to generate a virtual environment for the patient;
• and
• controlling both the movement of the exoskeleton corresponding to the human gait and the virtual reality unit with the remote control such that the virtual environment generated by the virtual reality unit corresponds to the movement of the exoskeleton controlled by the remote control so that the movement of the exoskeleton and the virtual environment generated by the virtual reality unit are coordinated.