Robotic legs for paraplegics march forward

October 11, 2010

Amanda Boxtel hasn’t walked since a skiing accident left her paralyzed nearly two decades ago.

In the video below, she stands and walks for the first time in 18 years using eLegs, a 45-pound wearable robotic exoskeleton aimed at getting paraplegics out of their wheelchairs and onto their feet. It’s an amazing sight.

“To take my first step in the eLegs was just astounding,” Boxtel says with tears in her eyes, “because I bent my knee for the first time in 18 years and I placed my heel on the ground. And then I transferred my weight. And then I took another step. And another one. And it was so natural, and that was what really gripped me.” (CNET)