July 16: A New Zealand company has unveiled a piece of technology which has the potential to change the lives of millions.

The Robotic Exoskeleton (REX) allows disabled people to walk and will be on sale by the end of the year.

“To have something taken away from you, especially when it wasn’t your choice, then to get it back is unreal,” says Hayden Allen, who was paralysed
from the chest-down five years ago.

REX takes a few hours to master – but speed isn’t the point. There are medical benefits like improved circulation and muscle strength, and, something you’d only appreciated if you’ve been in a wheelchair, not having people look down on you.

REX embodies cutting-edge robotics, mechatronics and programming, but its creators inspiration was something far simpler.

“I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which leaves a possibility of being in a wheelchair,” says REX co-founder Robert Irving.
“We decided we’d do something about it.”

REX cost $10 million and seven years to develop. The project was so top secret - even Mr Allen’s parents weren’t allowed to know until today.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” says his mother, Wendy Allen. “I was blown away to see him up and walking again. It was awesome.”

“It’s just out of this world, you don’t expect little old New Zealand to come up with something like this,” says his father Ron Allen.

REX will retail initially for US$150,000, cheaper in New Zealand, and eventually the price will come down.

“Anyone who is in a wheelchair will agree, getting back up those benefits has got to be worth $1 million,” says Mr Allen.

For people like him, REX could be the realisation of a dream.

Source: http://www.3news.co.nz

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