BUENOS AIRES, July 8 (Xinhua) -- A trip to China earlier this year completely transformed Maria Laura Biscaglia's life.
While exploring the 139th Canton Fair, the Argentine-born accountant and organizational coach, who has lived with muscular dystrophy for decades, stumbled upon a high-tech pavilion. Inside was a breakthrough: a robotic exoskeleton engineered to assist people with mobility impairments.
With help from staff, Biscaglia put on the device, developed by Chinese company Hangzhou Taixi Intelligent Technology Co., and found that walking suddenly became easier.
"I could see that the device really had the sensitivity to recognize my intention to move. It accompanied me and assisted me ... it helped me with my gait and gave me the strength to lift my leg better," she told Xinhua.
Using a network of sensors and artificial intelligence technology, the exoskeleton detects users' movements and intended motions, activating motors to provide real-time assistance during walking and other activities.
Biscaglia and her friends were deeply moved by the experience, but their excitement turned into disappointment when they realized they would have to return to Argentina without the device.
"It's very difficult because we all ended up being very emotional -- the public, the people at the booth, me and my friends -- very moved," she recalled.
However, her encounter with the exoskeleton went viral on Chinese and international social media, prompting the company to contact her and gift her the device.
Her story highlights how China's technological advances can help address specific medical needs around the world.
About 25 years after being diagnosed with the degenerative disease, Biscaglia has successfully incorporated the exoskeleton and its accompanying mobile app into her daily routine, using it for walking and rehabilitation exercises.
She has since become an inspiration for many people with disabilities or mobility challenges in Argentina who are showing growing interest in such technologies.
"When I returned to Buenos Aires ... I decided to take it for a walk around the neighborhood. My doctors, neurologist and physical therapist did not object to my using the device. The important thing was to see how it could help me in my daily life," she said.
She found that the exoskeleton was most valuable as a tool for exercise, helping stimulate her own gait and muscles in a controlled manner.
Beyond its personal impact, Biscaglia said her experience could encourage greater cooperation between the scientific, medical and technological communities of China and Argentina.
"While I live with this very complex neuromuscular disease, which currently raises far more questions than answers, this story can generate interest among doctors, scientists and everyone working to develop more alternatives for thousands of people living in similar situations," she said.
By combining medical expertise from both countries with Chinese technology and a people-centered approach, China and Argentina can address specific health needs and "build bridges," she added.
"Today, the exoskeleton helps me improve the quality of my gait. But I know it can do so much more. It provides people with assistance ... fostering greater autonomy, participation and integration into society. That's the true value of innovation: putting people at the center," she said. ■
