I can’t use the Ekso.
Not at the moment, at least. Someday I might be able to. It’s an open question. My ability to walk with the Ekso might prove impossible, but even if it’s possible, it’s going to take a grueling process for me to get there.
There are two issues. The first is bone density. Read More
First impressions are indeed powerful. They stick.
A visible disability makes a first impression about as sticky as they come.
This is what I’ve found when people encounter me as a wheelchair user. People freeze at elevator doors when they open to reveal my presence, for instance. There is no question that disability makes a strong impression. Even if I don’t see an outward sign, there is certainly an impact in someone’s mind (proportional to the degree of impairment, I’m sure).
The impression is that much stronger if you get the story along with it. Hearing that I was paralyzed for life at the age of 18, that I endured a broken back and 13 weeks of hospitalization, evokes a lot of emotion in people, with responses of shock or sympathy. Sometimes the reaction is as blatant as “I’m so sorry you’re in a wheelchair.” Read More
“Some People Have Lost Hope, & Ekso Really Brings That Back”
I met Jason in 2010 as Ekso Bionics (formerly Berkeley Bionics) was preparing to launch their bionic exoskeleton to the world (which was then known as eLEGS). Jason had a quiet calming demeanor and I instantly knew that he had experienced life. Jason never ceased to surprise with his joie de vivre and little gems of wisdom that seeped through into our conversation. I found myself not only intrigued with his story, but with his spirit. I wanted to know more. Read More
“I want to be a good role model to my family and to reach out to as many people through sharing my life’s experiences to help others increase their quality of life.”
Date of Birth: March 28, 1980
Disability Type: T-3 ASIA A Spinal Cord Injury
Date of Injury: October 14, 2008
Residence: Discovery Bay, CA
Interests: Enjoying the outdoors; handcycling; anything on the water; spending time with family; camping; watching movies; vacations; traveling overseas; learning how to downhill ski.
All my life I have been a fighter! I’ve never given up hope to what most people would call the impossible. I knew I would walk again—there was never a doubt in my mind. It was just a matter of time. I felt that was God’s promise to me. I am excited to say that His promise was fulfilled. While my legs still do not work, it has not stopped me from walking in Ekso. Read More
Ekso Bionics' CEO Eythor Bender receives UBM Electronics ACE Award from IEEE Spectrum Senior Editor, Tekla S. Perry
Last night, we were invited to attend the UBM Electronics ACE Awards Ceremony in San Jose, California as an award recipient. UBM Electronics is the global leader in media and marketing solutions for the electronics industry. The EE Times ACE (Annual Creativity in Electronics) Awards combined with EDN’s Innovation Awards, is a new award program, which recognizes and honors the people and companies behind the innovative technologies and new products that are changing the world of electronics globally. On behalf of Ekso Bionics, it was a great honor to receive The IEEE Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society ACE Award. Read More
Eythor Bender, CEO
I have personally assumed the challenge of leading our company toward a transformational shift in mobility to augment the human body. These are exciting times as we propel bionic exoskeletons into the forefront of technologies that are shaping the future of health and medicine. Ekso Bionics is a bionic powerhouse in California. Who better to align with than California’s visionary Singularity University and their executive program called FutureMed? We have forged a partnership to redefine the word ‘disabled’ and to showcase the validity and functionality of how exoskeletons augment human potential. Read More
BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN
As Sarah Anderson rises up in Ekso, her six-foot stature stands tall. She casts her eyes across the room and observes the world from her natural height, a perspective so different from what she’s become accustomed to – living her life in a wheelchair. We wanted to share a little more of her story with you. Sarah imparts some honest truths about when she sustained her chronic spinal chord injury, and her thoughts and feelings since.
If you haven’t yet read Sarah’s Profile or watched her video, here are some insights into Sarah’s background.
At 31, Sarah has truly lived life, and more than most at her young age. 8 ½ years ago on a warm summer’s day in June, a drunk driver struck the vehicle Sarah was a passenger in. Sarah sustained a chronic spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down (T10 ASIA C Spinal Cord Injury-Incomplete). Read More
I’m a boy-child of the sixties who played with Tinker Toys and Erector Sets. These were the bomb in those days.
It was generally my great pleasure to take things apart. Sometimes I even managed to put them back together in a functional form.
Then I grew up and bought my first car; a 1959 Thunderbird. Coolest car I ever had, but it needed work (thus the $450 price tag). So I tinkered more, to the degree I could by myself at least. Mainly, I suppose, I did my own oil changes.
Star Trek fan. Say no more.
This was the high-tech—and vision of high-tech—of my youth. Read More
Eythor Bender
Ekso Bionics’ CEO
Our company is at a crossroads in the history of mobility. Up until now, bionic exoskeletons were contraptions portrayed in the form of sci-fi avatars or robots. We are at the tipping point of scientific advancement where we have the ability to turn dreams and hope into reality. This month marks the beginning of an unprecedented journey as we delivered our first Ekso to Craig Hospital in Denver, CO on February 14th.
Many things had to happen over the last year to get us to where we are today. A dedicated team of employees and test pilots has been working towards the goal of helping people to realize their dreams of standing up and walking. Read More
Investigational Studies Completed: All Paraplegic Patients Walked During First Session
BERKELEY, California, February 15, 2012 — Ekso Bionics today announced that the first commercial unit of its Ekso exoskeleton was delivered yesterday, on February 14, to Craig Hospital in Denver. Ekso is a wearable robot that powers paraplegics up, enabling them to stand and walk. In addition – working together with top rehabilitation centers in the U.S. – Ekso Bionics just completed a ten-month Investigational Study of Ekso that entailed reciprocal information sharing and learning, training, as well as the definition of clinical protocols. Delivery of Eksos – beginning with Ekso Bionics´ Charter Rehabilitation Centers – will take place over the course of the next three months. Read More
