People have often wondered just how long it would be before we started to see technologies that looked like they were taken from a sci-fi movie in regards to helping people with physical disabilities.

While some sci-fi staples are simply not feasible at all, there are some breakthroughs popping up here and there that are awe-inspring.

One such breakthrough is the Ekso exoskeleton. Created by Ekso Bionics, the Esko exoskeleton is a miraculous invention that allows those with lower extremity paralysis to not only stand on their own, but walk as well.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

But it works amazingly well and is so fine tuned to fir each individual that it is operated by software that allows physicians to regulate the power of the device based upon the strength or limits of the patient. The exoskeleton is built so that the supports properly hold the individual upright while motors driven by battery power help movie the legs. This new “skeleton” works to replace the neuromuscular functions that many people in wheelchairs have learned to live without.

Built primarily for those that have suffered from strokes or spinal cord injuries, the Ekso is equipped with sensors that operate in a gesture-based interface that eventually come to predict the user’s habits and intentions. This allows movements to be mad smoothly and without pain.

A state of the art computer is also in charge of much of the movements in regards to the knees and the hips. As you might imagine, such an innovation doesn’t come cheap. More than that, it is not a device that all people with disabilities would be able to use effectively. But it is a great example of how technology really is geared to help those with disabilities.

It’s not just for sci-fi movies anymore but is becoming a reality that we can all look forward to. 

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