Blogs & Comment

Robot legs give paraplegics new hope

Ekso Bionics has released a moving video of paraplegics testing out its robotic exoskeleton.

It’s not often I get choked up watching a piece of technology being demonstrated, but check out this video of paraplegics testing out a robotic exoskeleton from California-based Ekso Bionics:

Ekso has opened a rehabilitation centre in Germany to try its robotic exoskeleton out on a larger scale. As evidenced by the video and recent reports from test patients, the gear is a big hit (here’s a photo gallery). It’s still pricey—about $150,000—but the company hopes to get it down to about half that.

The technology, long-time readers may remember, comes from the military. Contractors including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have for years been working on exoskeletons that can help soldiers carry big loads.