UK Paraplegic Woman First To Take Robotic Suit Home

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday September 4, 2012 @07:07AM from the can-we-call-it-a-mech dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It might be a ways off, but every day we get closer to the possibility of William Gibson's short story The Winter Market becoming a plausible reality. Viable consumer exoskeleton for the paralyzed? Check, finally. Quoting Reuters: 'The exoskeleton is activated by the wearer tilting their balance to indicate the desire to take a step. It supports the body's weight and also allows the person to go up or down stairs, as well as sit or stand up independently. It costs 45,000 pounds and although clinical studies are ongoing that could back a case for health authorities to fund purchases of the device, the developers argue that savings on the treatment of ailments related to inactivity could offset the cost.'"

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And in the future... by Russ1642 · 2012-09-04 07:14 · Score: 4, Insightful

Won't be long before lazy fat people are using these just because they don't feel like using their own muscles to move their limbs. Happened with the mobility scooters, it'll happen with these suits.