PCH first children’s hospital in Australia to get access to ground-breaking ZeroG 3D robot rehab technology

Perth will be the first Australian children’s hospital to get access to a ground-breaking rehabilitation robot, meaning more kids in the State can learn to walk again. The ZeroG 3D robot is a computer-controlled harness system that partially supports a child’s weight and tracks them as they walk, balance, and practise everyday movements. Harper Wade thought she just had growing pains in her leg when a MRI revealed she had a tumour growing out of her left femur. At only eight, she was diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma as the cancer had also spread to her lungs. What came next was nine months of high-dose chemotherapy and surgery to remove her knee and femur, which was replaced with prosthetics. The now 10-year-old, who has been in remission for almost a year, has been learning how to walk properly again with the help of the ZeroG. “After my surgery I was wondering, would rehab have been easier if I just had my leg cut off instead?,” she said. “When you’re running your foot usually gets a bit of air time but I didn’t have that much, probably only a millisecond. “With the ZeroG I can practise my running and now my running has got a lot better.” With the help of rehabilitation, Harper even feels fit enough to go back to playing netball this year. Funded through a $1.2 million investment by the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, the technology will form part of the expanding robotics program within Kids Rehab WA. The ZeroG’s introduction at PCH means WA kids can access the technology as part of public rehabilitation programs, which previously wasn’t possible. The system can be used with toddlers through to adolescents and assists with a wide range of conditions including cerebral palsy, cancer, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological or orthopaedic disorders. The device has also helped nine-year-old Bruce Tran, who lives with cerebral palsy and recently had a surgery to improve his walking. “I went on the ZeroG, which at first felt uncomfortable but after I got used to it was extraordinary,” he said. “It helps you do things that you haven’t been able to do in weeks or even months.” PCH rehabilitation technology coordinator physiotherapist Dan Prigmore said the technology allowed children to practise movements earlier and more safely during recovery. “The ZeroG 3D allows children to practise walking, balancing and standing without the fear of falling,” he said. “Integrating this technology into our rehabilitation program is a major step forward for our therapy teams and will help us deliver intensive mobility rehabilitation in new ways for children at PCH.” The same technology is also available at Healthy Strides Foundation rehabilitation centre in East Victoria Park following a donation from mining company MinRes to Telethon.