00:00As a professional mechanic, AJ is no stranger to machines, but being strapped to a robot
00:07is something else.
00:09It's computer controlled telling you how to walk and trying to get you to walk how a computer
00:15thinks you walk, not how I've been doing it for 50 years.
00:19So the first time it felt a bit awkward, but now I've been on it six times, it's comfortable.
00:26AJ's not complaining, having already seen improvements after a sudden unexpected illness.
00:31I fell ill with a disease called Guillain-Barre disease, which eliminates all my nerves, so
00:39I can't use any limbs, can't do anything.
00:42AJ is among patients at the University of Canberra Hospital taking part in a rehab program
00:48which uses robots with integrated video game technology.
00:52It keeps your mind active because you're actually doing things, and then it senses
00:56all the effort that I put in, and at the end of the session they can bring out and show
01:01how much weight the machine takes, how much effort I'm putting in, and each time you do
01:07it you get stronger and better at it.
01:08When I was trained as a physio many years ago, we would need to physically do that with
01:12our hands and it was very sort of time consuming and labour intensive.
01:16What these machines allow us to do is if we can set up the machine with one patient, then
01:20one physiotherapist or occupational therapist can supervise that treatment and it can be
01:24more efficient over time.
01:26The joint venture between the University of Canberra and the ACT's Public Health Service
01:32also sees students working with patients and staff as part of their training.
01:37Having a specialist rehabilitation hospital and having cutting edge technology is something
01:42that I expect will attract workforce and will also attract students to come and train here.
01:47AJ's motivation for taking part is simpler.
01:50I'm going to get up and walk out of here.
01:53There's no doubt about it.
01:55Innovation driving optimism.
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