History of the TAOS Walker

Todd Tyrell, president of Sky Medical Inc., and mechanical engineer was approached by a Physical Therapist whose son outgrew his current walking device. Her main concern was to keep him ambulatory, in a safe device that maintained proper body alignment. Todd and his brother also an engineer worked closely with her to develop and perfect the TAOS.
“The biggest problem with children who are restricted to wheelchairs is that their bodies
don’t work well if they are not upright and ambulatory,” said Todd Tyrell.

Tyrell said there are currently three base sizes to accommodate children as they grow.
He said a physical therapist brought the concept to his company, but was having some
problems with it. He called on his brother, also a mechanical engineer, to work with
physical therapists to perfect the design.

Currently, he said, the largest base fits children up to five feet tall and 120 pounds.
“We are working on a larger base,” Tyrell said, which would fit people up to five feet,
eight inches tall and about 160 pounds, but have to be wary of tipping issues.
Depending on how reactive the child is in the unit, the body level of the child can be
raised or lowered to enable progression in the TAOS.

To see if the TAOS is appropriate for your child Request an Assessment.