In Israel, engineer Amit Goffer has designed an exoskeleton that lets paralyzed people walk and climb stairs, with crutches. It’s clearly not as sophisticated as some of the super-suits being developed for military purposes. But the ReWalk system — now in clinical trials in Tel Aviv’s Sheba Medical Center — does offer a chance for a much more normal life. According to this clip from InfoLive.tv, it "consists of motorized leg supports, body sensors and a backpack containing a computerized control box and rechargeable batteries. The user picks a setting with a remote control wrist band –
stand, sit, walk, descend or climb – and then leans forward, activating the body sensors and setting the robotic legs in motion."
ReWalk’s inventor, Goffer, is "himself was paralyzed in an accident in 1997, but he cannot use his own invention because he does not have full function of his arms." Maybe that will change, with exoskeleton 2.0.
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