Watch a Spinal Cord Injury Patient Demonstrate an Invention That Could Help People Relearn to Walk

Ekso Bionics developed an exoskeletal system that can help stroke and spinal cord injury patients walk again, Live Science reported.

Called the Ekso, the device is a wearable bionic apparatus that enables people with any amount of leg weakness to walk by providing additional power to the limbs as needed. Patients can walk for much longer without tiring, allowing them to reacquire muscle memory. The Ekso can also send differing amounts of strength to each bionic limb, making it useful in helping stroke patients who may have lost differing amounts of muscle control on either side of their bodies.

For people with spinal cord injuries, such as Shane Mosko (in the video below), the exoskeleton is useful for rebuilding strength and staving off any detrimental side effects of constantly sitting. For Mosko, a big draw was being able to stand and look people in the eye.

“I’m not going to be confined to my wheelchair. I’m gonna be standing, I’m gonna be walking, I’m gonna be able to work on my recovery,” he said during a demonstration at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in the video below. “Just being able to do the same things you used to before your accident. It’s a game changer.”

Watch Mosko demonstrate the bionic legs in the video below. 

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