west

Human exoskeletons — for war and healing

Eythor Bender of Berkeley Bionics brings onstage two amazing exoskeletons, HULC and eLEGS — robotic add-ons that could one day allow a human to carry 200 pounds without tiring, or allow a wheelchair user to stand and walk. It’s a powerful onstage demo, with implications for human potential of all kinds.

Amanda Boxtel: “I was 24 years old and at the top of my game when a freak somersault while downhill skiing paralyzed me. In a split second, I lost all sensation and movement below my pelvis. Not long afterwards, a doctor strode into my hospital room, and he said, “Amanda, you’ll never walk again.” And that was 19 years ago.”

To see Amanda now walk onto the stage is an extraordinary, and for me especially moving, on-stage demonstration. 20 years ago I had a car accident. Neither my physio nor my doctor thought I would walk again. Eventually I was able to learn how to walk again, and walking still has a thrill it never previously had.