Exoskeleton helps man walk again

[freydis]

So very cool....

HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.

That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward -- with a proud expression on his face -- as passersby stare in surprise.

"I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.

"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."

The device, called ReWalk, is the brainchild of engineer Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, a small Israeli high-tech company.

Something of a mix between the exoskeleton of a crustacean and the suit worn by comic hero Iron Man, ReWalk helps paraplegics -- people paralyzed below the waist -- to stand, walk and climb stairs.

Goffer 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.

The system, which requires crutches to help with balance, consists of motorized leg supports, body sensors and a back pack containing a computerized control box and rechargeable batteries.

[Rev.Reverence]

SWEET!

It is nice to see things progressing....

..But I do wonder how long it'll take some Genius to make it into a weapons platform...

Then to make it a Gladitorial EVENT!

[Head Wreck]

US army allready is developing something like it for a soldier to use in the field.

[SaGa]

SWEET!

It is nice to see things progressing....

..But I do wonder how long it'll take some Genius to make it into a weapons platform...

Then to make it a Gladitorial EVENT!

alls i can think of is warhammer. or mechwarrior. or even the anime appleseed.

yup. its true. the future weapons are going to take after games and anime now.

[Homicidalheathen]

It looks heavy and uncomfortable...but at least he is mobile and has total lung expansion cause if you don't you run a greater risk of developing phnemonia