Robotic Legs to the Rescue: SA First on Platteklip Gorge

• Hypershell Exoskeleton used on a rescue in South Africa for the first time
• Exhausted 47-year-old mother walked down with the device’s assistance
• Family praised for calling for help early

Saturday afternoon began like so many others on Table Mountain, with a family setting out together up Platteklip Gorge, one of the mountain’s most popular routes.

By the time they reached the top, the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway had closed for the day.

With the light fading and a long descent ahead, the family did exactly the right thing. They called the emergency number - 021 937 0300 - to let us know they were beginning their descent and might need assistance along the way.

A small team, including a Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedic, headed up to meet them.

After a long and tiring day on the mountain, the family’s 47-year-old mother was exhausted and struggling to continue. To assist her down the steep gorge, the team turned to one of WSAR’s newest tools - the Hypershell Exoskeleton.

The lightweight, battery-operated device is worn around the hips and thighs and is designed to assist the wearer’s natural movement. As the wearer walks, the exoskeleton provides powered assistance with each step, helping to take some of the strain off tired legs and making it easier to keep moving when fatigue sets in.

Once it was fitted, her steps became steadier and her confidence grew. With the rescue team alongside her, she was able to continue the descent on her own two feet, with assistance from the exoskeleton.

The incident was concluded shortly after 23h00, with the entire family safely off the mountain.

Saturday night marked the first deployment of an exoskeleton on a rescue in South Africa.

For WSAR, technology like this is another tool that can help us match the right assistance to the needs of a patient. In this case, it helped an exhausted hiker regain enough strength and confidence to walk herself off the mountain.

But perhaps the most important part of this rescue happened before the team even reached the family.

- They called early.

They recognised that they might need assistance and let us know before the situation became an emergency. That gave the team an opportunity to meet them on the mountain and provide the right assistance when it was needed.

Thank you to our team members for giving up their Saturday night to assist, and to the family for making the right call and asking for help early.

 Heading up the mountain? 

Start early, check the cable car times, carry a torch, water and warm layers, and save this number in your phone: 021 937 0300.

• Save and share the correct Emergency Contact Number - 021 937 0300
• Please support us - https://wsar.org.za/support-us/
• Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.

Photos by James Dijzel and David Nel
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