Koen van Zeeland

Koen in the exoskeleton of MARCH 6

After two successful years, Project MARCH's eight team will be working with Koen for another year. Koen is the user of our exoskeleton and has control over the movements he makes. We therefore call him the 'pilot' of our exoskeleton. As the twenty-seventh and perhaps most important team member, we would like to introduce Koen.

In daily life, Arnhem-based Koen is an executive in laying fibreglass in the Utrecht area. Koen is a hard worker and his phone is always ringing. Yet he likes to make time to have a drink with his friends in the pub. Besides the pub, you might also find him on the moors, where he likes to walk his dog Turbo. Koen is also super sporty. Besides working out three times a week, Koen is also an avid cyclist with the goal of cycling up the mountains in Austria on his handbike. Walking in an exoskeleton also requires good physical fitness, so this suits Koen perfectly!

Project MARCH & Koen

Koen already has some experience walking in an exoskeleton after being diagnosed with a spinal cord injury in 2013. He walked in the Rewalk during an eight-week training programme at St Maartens Clinic. Despite being very happy to be able to stand again with the Rewalk, he feels there is still room for innovation. We hope to provide this innovation by listening to his wishes. In fact, Project MARCH's development process is based on co-creation. Here, collaboration between the team and the pilot is central. Based on feedback from Koen, we adjust the design to achieve the best possible end result: an exoskeleton that is user-friendly in everyday use, improves health and increases freedom of movement.

Koen with MARCH 7 during the Cybatlon 2021