Perth boys Nazeem Fahmi and Nate Fearnall have yet to make it to outer space — but they have defied gravity.
As the first in the southern hemisphere to road test a breakthrough rehabilitation robot, the boys discovered a robotic system that points to a bright future.
The ZeroG 3D robot is a computer-controlled harness system that partially supports a child’s weight and tracks their movement.
For Nazeem, who has cerebral palsy that affects his lower and upper limbs, it was a gamechanger.
“I‘ve never seen Nazeem be hands free and take steps without any equipment, so it was like a dream come true,” his mum Noraishah Naim said.
“When you have technology like this, it just broadens the mind even more.
“The possibilities of what these children can do and take on in future is just amazing.”
Marissa Smith, Nate Fearnall and Dayna Pool. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian
For Nate’s mum Nellie Fearnall, the machine allows her son to take the “next steps” in his development and provide added confidence along the way.
“Nate is able to walk on his own but he has struggled with the jumping and jumping forward and trying to then take the next steps in development that he hasn’t had the confidence to do before, because quite often he’ll fall,” she said.
“Just being able to do those sideways movements and moving quickly and turning around — and having the support to let him know that he’s safe to have a go of it — that builds his strength.”
The first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, the system was gifted and installed at Healthy Strides Foundation rehabilitation centre in East Victoria Park as part of a donation from mining company MinRes to Telethon.
It is an upgrade from an older version of the same technology, which Healthy Strides founder Dayna Pool said MinRes donated in 2022.
Nazeem Fahmi and Marissa Smith. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian
The physiotherapist who specialises in neurological rehabilitation said the upgrade was a giant leap into the future.
“It provides the opportunity to truly harness the principles of neuroplasticity and to learn valuable and important new skills in the most independent way possible while ensuring that skills are gained and maintained for a lifetime,” Ms Pool said.
“It protects children from falling while providing sophisticated, advanced dynamic body weight support, and for the first time within a 3D space that offers freedom and simulates how we move in everyday environments.”
MinRes people director Andrea Chapman said the company was proud to bring the technology to WA.
“Healthy Strides is a wonderful organisation and we have been blown away by how Dayna and her team are building the confidence, strength and skills of these inspirational children,” she said.
First published by The West Australian.