Science-fiction is often said to be a precursor to technological innovation. The first film ever made, Voyage dans la Lune by Georges Méliès, portrayed a journey to the moon sixty-seven years before it became a reality and with The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams predicted the smart phone decades before it even existed. Now technology is looking at taking another leap from science-fiction to science-fact with the development of wearable bionic suits that help improve human strength and mobility.

Breaking down barriers

Ekso Bionics is a pioneering robotics company that has created some of the first commercially available motorised exoskeletons in Britain. Originally funded for military use the bionic suit, named ‘The Ekso’, has since been used to help paraplegics and those with mobility problems to stand and walk with the aid of motorised hydraulics.

This may sound like an idea from a Hollywood blockbuster (just last year Matt Damon wore a similar looking bionic suit in the film Elysium) but Ekso Bionics are determined to make this technology common place and are “committed to applying the latest technology and engineering to help people rethink current physical limitations and achieve the remarkable.”

With medical supervision the Ekso suit is strapped to the user, outside of their clothing, and uses small motorised hydraulics to help lift them to a standing position. The user then controls the suit using a panel built into the suits crutches that mechanically moves their legs.

the future and the potential

The emergence of such suits in recent years has created debate over whether such technology could someday surpass the need for wheelchairs. At the rate technology grows, theoretically the application of such suits in everyday use is endless. Right now though the use of bionic suits, like the Ekso, lie mainly in the rehabilitation of those with lower body paralysis. Although not creating a simple solution for those with major mobility issues, the Ekso does provide help with physical training and gives people the opportunity to experience the ability to walk again with minimal support.

Over the past few years a number of disabled sporting stars have helped in testing out Ekso suits. In 2012, British Paralympian and Olympic torch bearer David Follett became one of the first people in Britain to use The Ekso to walk again, five years after being paralysed in a car crash.  Free style snow-mobile rider Paul Thacker tested the Ekso suit after an accident left him paralysed and is now a company representative showcasing the Ekso at events around America. 

Ekso Bionics has recently opened its own store in Cambridge where various makes of Ekso are available to purchase, including the EksoClimber which is specifically designed to make climbing stairs easier. The Ekso is also now being used in physical rehabilitation centres and is being integrated into physical rehab schemes across the country.

With the rate at which technology is evolving, human feats that were previously thought of as impossible are now finally being achieved.

For more information on Ekso Bionics please visit their website here.