(Courtesy of EKSO Bionics)Ashley Barnes was 35 years old when doctors told her she would never walk again. While wearing the device and holding two forearm crutches, someone with complete lower-limb paralysis can walk. In 2014, the ReWalk system became the first personal robotic exoskeleton approved by the Food and Drug Administration. “Utility” means that an exoskeleton would provide a medical benefit beyond simply helping people move around and complete daily tasks. Kara compared the prospects for exoskeletons to the growth of LiDAR, which uses pulsed lasers to record topographic features.

Source: Washington Post June 11, 2017 02:37 UTC