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.

For coming up on 39 years (this Fourth of July, 2012) the bones in my legs have been without the “loading” which prompts those bones to remain capable of carrying the weight of my upper body.

The human body is really incredible that way. It’s so dynamic—and intelligent. It responds to how we use it. If we don’t load the bones, then the body figures it doesn’t have to keep the calcium density up. Why bother if you’re not going to use them in that way?

But the human body is also wise enough to build in some safety factors, like any good architect and engineer does for a building. Don’t make it just strong enough; make it extra strong. Redundancy is a fact of nature.

So although my bones are certainly not as strong as they were when I was a walking person way back when, they might still possibly be up to the job. I need to get a bone density test to find out, and then my good friends at Ekso will have to let me know whether I’m a candidate based on the results.

One thing is sure. Taking a few robotic steps is not worth breaking my legs. Brittle bones would be a deal breaker (pardon the pun).

The second issue is much more complicated, though more reliably solved. Assuming my bones could handle the load, I’ll need to get straightened out.

My muscles, tendons, and ligaments have all shortened. It’s another one of those things that happen when you don’t stand for almost forty years, another way that the intelligence of the body expresses itself. “You sit all the time? Then I’ll just adopt that shape as my normal,” says the miraculous body.

The tissues of our bodies are always ready to shorten. It’s the reason you have the impulse to stretch when you wake up in the morning. Your whole body tightened up while you were asleep. My body has tightened up to the degree that I don’t lay flat. When I’m on my back, my knees go up and out. (Entirely inelegant, but how I’m the most comfortable, actually.) My hips and my hamstrings are very tight; they just don’t straighten out.

To remain straight would have taken maintaining a routine of “range of motion” stretching. I’ve lived such a busy lifestyle that I just didn’t have time. (That’s my excuse, at least. To be totally honest, I didn’t have the discipline. Plus, yoga was not in vogue in 1973.)

In the late 80s, “standing frames” became available which allow people to get up on their legs in a stationary position as a way of loading the bones and maintaining range of motion. The “static” ones—which are kind of like an exercise bike that doesn’t go anywhere—are equipped with a table surface so you can work. There are wheelchairs which are designed to switch from sitting to standing positions. Obviously they are much bulkier and more expensive. Several power wheelchairs are also capable of standing someone up. Some are even drivable in the standing position. None of this was at hand in the early years of my paraplegia.

There is a solution. Surgery. It’s what I meant when I said it would be a grueling process. They would have to go in and release my psoas and other muscles and attachments in order for me to be able to stand straight. They carve a zig zag pattern into them which allow them to expand, and then the incisions heal up in the new, stretched position. Surgery, recovery, expense. Bummer.

Having learned that that my bones could carry me, I would go there. I would opt for the knife.

It would be good for me to get straightened out in any case. I’d have some more options for sleeping, for example. Right now it’s one side or the other, and my hips (trochanters, actually) go numb every night. (I have a low, T12 spinal cord injury, so I’m actually paralyzed from the thighs down, which means that I have sensation below my waist.)

So why haven’t I rushed to schedule the appointments? Well, I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about that, except to say that the state of my life at the moment is very intense, and it’s just not something I can make a priority of right now. There’s some other stuff I have to pull together first.

I will share that the nature of my health care coverage has something to do with it. The surgery and rehab won’t be cheap, and I’d have to come up with a chunk of money out of pocket. (Shall we open a KickStarter.com page to raise money for my surgery?)

The worldwide fame (note facetiousness here) I would achieve as the oldest and longest post-injury person with paraplegia to walk with the Ekso is somehow not enough motivation for me to move the earth to do whatever it takes so I can have that experience of walking again.

Though it would definitely be way cool. When the time and circumstances are right, I’ll be all over it, I promise you.

Ekso Bionics’ Blogger Gary Karp is an author and speaker on what he calls the Modern Disability Experience. His work supports people making a recent adjustment to paralysis, and he helps business and government clients recognize and embrace the historic emergence of people with disabilities as employees. Learn more at www.moderndisability.com.

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.”

This is as it should be. It’s just proof that it is our nature to be compassionate. We care. Our hearts open when we hear of someone who has experienced trauma of this kind. Sympathy is an entirely natural reaction. Often, sympathy transforms into admiration for how that person has moved on with life, which is just the other side of the same coin. If the experience is tragic by definition, then moving on must be heroic.

Their admiration is actually exaggerated, because they clearly believe that how I live is a lot harder than I know it to be. Having mastered living with my disability by just learning how it’s done. It’s normal for me, but it looks incredible to everyone else.

What they don’t understand is that it’s very old news for me. I have no need for apologetic sentiment, because I don’t experience myself as tragic. And that’s where many people get stuck. Stuck in sympathy.

When you continue to operate on that first impression and the feelings that got attached to it, you are all too likely to view me through that lens – that is, to think of me always with that flavor of what I went through, as opposed to what I’ve done since.

Problem number one: continuing to feel and think those things doesn’t fit the whole person I am now (nor does it fit the person with a disability since childhood who never faced a traumatic change). I’ve moved on, and the sooner you can do that, then the sooner you will be able to view me clearly for the person I am.

If you view me through a sympathetic lens, then you’ll continue to have the impulse to do things to ease the difficulty of my life (playing into and reinforcing a sticky stereotype). You might offer help I don’t need, or simply hover in readiness to be of service. When your thoughts are occupied with wondering what my life is like, at the ready to ease (what you imagine is) the inherent difficulty of it, then there’s not enough room left for what counts. Namely, discovering our common interests, and making whatever true human connection is our potential.

But worse yet, if I am your employee in the workplace, you might have the impulse to go easy on me, and lower your expectations. Lower the bar. That denies me the chance to show what I’m capable of — the chance to demonstrate and discover my own competencies. It could well deny me the opportunity to advance in my career, to earn a promotion, to gain greater respect from my colleagues. To make more of a difference in the world. A manager operating through a sympathetic lens can easily fall into the trap of de facto discrimination without even realizing it.

Being stuck in sympathy may well have its roots in compassion, but the result can be terribly detrimental.

Given the very power of the first impression of disability, I’m suggesting that you make an extra effort to not allow it to color your view of that person from that moment on. People don’t want to be defined by a life event that is ancient history for them. Just know that you can’t really know their experience (who ever truly knows anyone’s experience?). You’ll do better if you assume that they have adapted and you don’t need to know. It’s that letting go which will allow you to get to the real, whole person. And their real, whole potential.

Consider how this might play for you. What pain have you faced in your life? It’s a long list of possibilities life has to offer, isn’t it? Maybe you went through a financial crisis, flunked out of school, were kidnapped or mugged. Maybe you got your heart broken (who hasn’t?), went through a divorce, or lost a spouse to illness much too young. Whatever it might be for you, do you want people to primarily see you in terms of that experience? Do you want people to treat you gently (read: “differently”)? Or do you understand that you got through it, integrated into your overall story, and just did all you could to get on with your life – your largely normal, up and down, unpredictable, crazy life?

This is exactly why people with invisible disabilities often don’t reveal them. They know it changes things — either for good, or in a way that they have to work through to get themselves seen accurately for the whole of who they are.

So let that initial, heart opening first impression be a cue for you. Travel a little further down the road so you can get beyond that first impression, and connect with the real, whole person. That’s the only way you’ll get to play whatever your role might be in ensuring that the individual with a disability you have encountered gets the same chances as everyone else — either to be recognized for who they are, or to kick ass in the workplace.

So by all means, don’t feel you need to resist your natural, gut, visceral reaction when you encounter a person with a disability. You don’t need to shut off the compassionate, natural beauty of your initial caring response. I’m proposing that you catch yourself getting stuck in that first impression. That’s how you’ll avoid the trap of inordinately defining that individual by their disability, substantially missing out on the whole of who that person really is.

That’s a much more tragic loss than any long-ago acquired disability.

Ekso Bionics’ Blogger Gary Karp is an author and speaker on what he calls the Modern Disability Experience. His work supports people making a recent adjustment to paralysis, and he helps business and government clients recognize and embrace the historic emergence of people with disabilities as employees. Learn more at www.moderndisability.com.

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.

If you haven’t yet read Jason’s Profile or watched his video, here are some insights into Jason’s background. 3 ½ years ago Jason’s life changed in an instant when his motorcycle collided with a car head on. Amongst other injuries such as a collapsed lung, swelling in his brain, and a fractured neck, Jason sustained a spinal cord injury paralyzing him from the chest down. (T-3 ASIA A SCI).

Jason with his fiancé Karen and their daughter, Natalie

Jason says:

“Some people have lost hope, and Ekso really brings that back…
To think about those things like walking at your daughter’s wedding, or standing up at your own. A device like this symbolizes hope that one day they’re going to be able rise from their chair and they’re going to be able to walk.”

Ekso Bionics (EB):  After your motorcycle accident when you woke up from the coma, can you describe your feelings? Did you know your life had changed forever?

Jason:    When I think back to over three years ago when I first was involved in my accident it brings back a flood of emotions. In the first days to come after waking up from my sedated comma it was like a dream. As I lay there in my hospital bed I thought I would go to sleep and wake up back at home. I couldn’t believe it; here I was a police officer lying in a hospital bed from a motorcycle accident I couldn’t remember. I was angry. I thought I was just getting into the “groove” of life. I didn’t have it all figured out but I thought I was on my way. Then this happened – a definite derailment of my life’s plans. I had no idea what I was going to do, it was like starting life all over, and it was. After a few days of letting it all sink in and feeling sorry for myself (although I would never let on I felt like that) I felt a sudden peace over me. I had never been a religious person before, but I had the overwhelming feeling of God in my life suddenly. I truly felt it was going to be ok; that I would walk again, that life was going to be good.

After that it was like something inside of me woke up – the fighting spirit that had been with me in the military and as a cop. I knew this was going to be a challenge but I was now ready for it.

EB:           When you were told you were paralyzed, what made you want to fight and live life to the fullest? 

Jason:    There are a few things that made me fight for an extraordinary life: my family for one. They stood by me, believing in me and cheering me on all the time. I have always loved living. Not just running through the motions but really going out and making something of my life. Doing the things that I love to do, surrounding myself with loved ones and just attacking life head on. I didn’t want this to stop me from living a fulfilling life. I wanted show people that out of any circumstance you can love and enjoy life to the fullest.

EB:           Have you ridden a motorcycle again and if not, is that something you wish to do again?

Jason:    I have not ridden a motorcycle again and I have no plans to ride in the future. Before my accident I owned two other motorcycles prior to the one that was involved in my accident. They were both stolen at separate times. Maybe someone was looking out for me and I just didn’t know it at the time. Plus, now I like having a steel cage around me, its oddly comforting.

EB:           Do you speak for other organizations? If so, what are some of the messages you impart with others?

Jason:    I’m called back to the hospital where I did my rehabilitation at every so often to speak to patients and support groups. What I really try to get across is that life is just going to be different. Yes it sucks, yes you don’t deserve this, yes it’s going to be hard, but yes, life is still going to be great. I help coach them on goal setting, focusing on the future not the past, and support for the really rough dark times. You can’t change what happened, but you can change your future. The great thing about the future is that it hasn’t happened yet. You set your course; I’ll help you get there if you want.

Jason (left) in his mono-ski with instructor Matt Feeney (right)

EB:           What are some of your proudest achievements and moments?

Jason:    There are many things that come to mind. Some of the best moments are the small things you accomplish. First off raising my daughter to be the young lady she is. Being that example for her and creating a loving environment for her. I recently took up mono-skiing, white water rafting, rock climbing. I love living an active life. Some of my proudest moments are when someone tells me I have changed his or her life. It could have been from someone I met at the hospital, my family or friends, or someone I have helped through my work at Primerica. I had no idea what an impact I could have on someone’s life by just living my life the way I do.

EB:           What has the experience of walking in Ekso done for you personally? Can you speak about your progression? Are you more confident?

Jason:    Walking in Ekso has changed my life. It’s made that thought that I would walk again a reality. It excites me to know that bionic technology is only getting started and there is so much room for growth. I began walking in Ekso over a year ago and it was a little exhausting at first. Trying to balance myself with my arms by leaning forward all the time was tiring. Now I am able to let Ekso do the supporting and I do the balancing with minimal effort. I am walking more upright, walking for longer periods of time, and more consistently. I am definitely more confident. Now I’m starting to keep my head up without looking at my feet and trusting where I place my feet on the ground.

EB:           Where has Ekso taken you on your travels and can you describe one memorable experience?

Jason:    I’ve been able to travel the country as well as abroad. Last November I flew to Helsinki, Finland to walk in Ekso for the European branch of Ekso Bionics. What an amazing experience it has been to be able to demonstrate this technology with the world. Traveling in a wheelchair always proves to be an adventure. Jet lagged, I checked into my hotel in Finland. I couldn’t wait to rest so I promptly made sure the room was accessible. To my surprise my wheelchair didn’t fit through the bathroom doorway. My immediate thought was, if I had Ekso I would be able to walk into any bathroom and wouldn’t have this problem. After this little escapade and some creative research, I later checked into a different and more accessible hotel. In hindsight, I can see how Ekso will help me access places I can’t visit now. It’s exciting to think what the next few years will bring with bionic technology.

EB:           Do you have any immediate goals you’d like to fulfill with Ekso?

Jason:    I think goal setting is an important part of life. I feel that without goals you’re not moving forward. A friend suggested a goal-setting time frame, which was to set goals for the year in these five areas – faith, family, fitness, fellowship, and finances. Now I can add one extra goal to that, Ekso. Every time I walk in Ekso I find myself wanting to do more. Currently the most I have walked is 1068 steps in 44 minutes. My next goal is to walk 2000 steps in one hour.  Every time I walk in Ekso it gets easier and I exert less energy. Beyond increasing my steps, taking Ekso outside in the real world is my next Ekso dream.

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.

My background

In 1998 I graduated high school from Antioch California and enlisted in the Navy right away. I spent the first eight years on an aircraft carrier, the John F. Kennedy (CV-67) working in the Air Department filming the launch and recovery of aircraft. When the time arrived to serve on-shore, I thought to myself, there’s no better place than San Diego to spend 3 years. During my on-shore duty I became an SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) instructor. What an amazing experience! Close to finishing my Naval term, I discharged and entered into law enforcement in Oakland before returning home to Antioch where I grew up.

Two years into my new career my whole world turned upside down. October 14, 2008 at around 11:30am two friends and I were riding our motorcycles in the Oakland hills. I was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident that paralyzed me from the chest down. I am now a T-3 ASIA A complete paraplegic, which is the medical terminology doctors use to say, “Jason, your paralyzed from the chest down and you will never walk again.”

My Ekso experience

The first time I was introduced to Ekso I stared like they were something out of a movie. How could I be a part of something so big? My mind was rushing, heart pounding, and excitement wanting to burst out like a little kid at Christmas. As I was being fitted into Ekso my body started to feel at peace, my mind clear and my only thought was I’m going to walk now.

The engineers asked, “Are you ready to stand?” I said “Yes” Like you wouldn’t believe!

As I took my first few steps I was almost concentrating too hard at walking right, and not falling. I took a moment to gaze around, and the world appeared as it did two-years earlier before my accident. I could look people eye-to-eye without having to peer up. I was whole again! Not that I’m not whole, but at that moment I was remembering for the first time what it was like to walk. Ekso Bionics has made the “impossible” possible!

Jason Gieser takes steps independently in Ekso (formerly known as eLEGS) in January, 2011

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.

IEEE Spectrum Magazine Cover, January 2012

IEEE Spectrum magazine is the flagship publication of the IEEE, the world’s largest professional technology association. Ekso Bionics was not only in the IEEE Spectrum 2012 January special issue, we were on the cover as a featured technology.

IEEE Spectrum’s editors voted Ekso as the technology that has the greatest potential to provide the most overall benefit to humankind. The award was presented by IEEE Spectrum Senior Editor, Tekla S. Perry

Renee Loth Cali, our Director of Culture, and I were very proud to attend the ceremony representing the team. The video featuring Ekso Ambassador Tamara Mena was played for a packed hall of guests and is available online.

VIDEO: Goodbye, Wheelchair, Hello Exoskeleton

We will display the award in our California headquarters along with a copy of the January Front Cover Issue of IEEE Spectrum Magazine.

On behalf of Ekso Bionics, I thank UBM Electronics and IEEE Spectrum for such a prestigious honor. I extend a heartfelt thank you to our Company’s employees for all that they do in pursuit of The Human Endeavor!

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.

We are privileged to have FutureMed’s executive director, Daniel Kraft M.D. serving on Ekso Bionics’ Advisory Council. He also serves as the Medicine Track Chair for Singularity University. FutureMed dives deeply into exploring the future of medicine through exponential game changing technologies. Presenting for this influential audience of thinkers and practitioners, has situated us with world class faculty ranging from experts in personalized medicine, mobile health, robotic surgery, artificial intelligence, medical devices, nanotechnology, pharma and more. Our presentation at Singularity U’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California featured two of our Pilot Ambassadors who demonstrated their newfound freedom as they walked in Ekso. I felt as if the audience understood, first-hand, the power and implications of breakthrough technology such as ours.

VIDEO: Ekso Bionics CEO Eythor Bender Presents at FutureMed 2012

Presenting at FutureMed was the precursor to an even more exciting event – Singularity University’s Executive Program at 20^th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles on March 3, 2012. In this highly unusual event some of the attendees included innovators, scientists, academics, and entrepreneurs like Vivek Whadhwa (Columnist Washington Post and BusinessWeek), Vinton Cerf (computer scientist and Google evangelist), Dean Kamen (Segway inventor), Carl Bass (Autodesk), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn Founder), Jim Gianopulos (Fox Filmed Entertainment Co-Chairman and CEO), Elon Musk (Paypal, Tesla and SpaceX) and some big entertainment celebrity names such as Will-I-Am (Black Eyed Peas), Ashton Kutcher, John Cusack and Troy Carter (Lady Gaga’s manager and strategist).

Back Row (L-R): Thomas Dwyer (Field Engineer), Eythor Bender (CEO), Daniel Kraft, Will-I-Am, Kolbeinn Bjornsson (VP Global Sales). Front Row: Ekso Ambassadors Jason Gieser with Sarah Anderson.

Our keynote presentation closed the show with a bang. CNN’s chief business correspondent and anchor Ali Velshi joined us on stage for an interview.

We first introduced our good friend Ali to Ekso (formerly eLEGS) soon after the company’s launch in November 2010 live on CNN’s The BIG i: Ideas, Innovation, Imagination (Watch video). He later noted that our interview combined with a standing hug with Pilot Ambassador Amanda Boxtel was “the best interview and hug ever”.

After the 20^th Century Fox presentation, Ali was quoted as saying, “It’s the second time I’ve seen someone who has lost the use of their legs walk with Ekso Bionics’ legs, and I am again moved beyond comprehension.” This was an evening where our technology spoke for itself. We are thankful to Singularity University for this outstanding opportunity.

Ekso Bionics webs human biology with bionics, empowering us to do things thought previously impossible. Our exoskeletons are walking examples of the merger between man and machine.

Our future is now. We are delivering Eksos to the top rehabilitation centers in the US and Europe. The first centers to use our bionic technology to enable patients to walk again in a medically safe environment are chronologically Craig Hospital, Kessler Foundation, and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network. The results have been extremely positive and underscore the success of our journey. Eksos are destined to become a real and functional option for wheelchair users in their daily living.

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).

Sarah pictured with her Mom (left) and her best friend's mother.

EB (Ekso Bionics):  When you went through what has now become a turning point in your life with your car accident, what did you feel in the days/months afterwards lying in hospital? Did you know your life had changed forever?

Sarah:    When I initially woke up in the hospital I was pretty dazed and confused about everything. I literally had no idea where I was or what had happened to me. It wasn’t until several days after my surgery that I realized the extent of my injuries and my diagnosed fate. After my surgery I was moved to the CCU and it was there that my life changed forever. One of the doctors approached my bedside and without any sense of warmth or sensitivity he bluntly informed me, “Sarah you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury and you will never walk again, but don’t worry you can still have a normal life.” All I wanted to do at that very moment was to scream and shout at the doctor and call him a “liar.” In my eyes I was immortal, and there was no way that I could be paralyzed! I was convinced that the doctor was manifesting my injuries and from that very moment I was dead set that I was leaving that hospital. I was going to get out of that bed and walk out of that place. I ripped my covers off and I tried to sit up, but little to my dismay I couldn’t even sit up. Even with all the strength I had mustered up I was only able to pull my covers down a couple of centimeters, let alone rip them off.

Sadly I realized that I wasn’t going to walk out of that hospital, my sense of reality kicked in and I knew that the doctor wasn’t lying. I really was paralyzed. My sense of self-worth immediately plummeted to a non-existent level. Not only did I feel worthless but I questioned if I wanted to go on living. I hated myself. I struggled to find happiness or value in anything. Every night before I went to bed I secretly wished that I wouldn’t wake up in the morning. I didn’t want to live a life full of numerous physical limitations. During the day time hours I prayed that my injury was just a really bad dream and that I was eventually I going to wake up and go back to my “real life” from before. Time slowly passed and each day my wishes were slowly ignored and not granted. I was a selfish soul who couldn’t see past the physical aspects of life.

It wasn’t until half way through my hospital stay that I realized that my life was far from over.  One afternoon I was sitting in the courtyard area of the hospital and I realized that I didn’t like the bitter person that I had morphed into over the past few months. I knew that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life full of negativity and that the only person who could turn my outlook on life around was myself. From that day on I made the conscious decision not to focus on the things that I could no longer do because of my injury, but instead to focus on all of the things that I could do. My life became more fulfilling once I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I started to let my guard down and I began to allow those that I loved and cared about to help me heal from both my physical and emotional injuries. Since then I’ve never looked back and I continue to live each day to it’s fullest and I never take anything or anyone for granted.

EB:           What was it like learning how to drive again and getting back behind the wheel?

Sarah:    Getting back behind the wheel wasn’t as difficult for me as I thought it would be. When I was injured I was a passenger so I think that really played a large part in my fearless approach to driving again. It definitely took some time to get used to driving with hand controls though. I’ve always been a fiercely independent person so I was eager to get back to my regular routine, so I really welcomed regaining the ability to drive again.

EB:           Horseback riding is one of your passions. Have you ridden horses again? If yes, can you describe your experience.

Sarah:    Horses and riding are more than a passion; they are more like a lifestyle for me. I learned how to ride a horse long before I ever learned how to walk. When my mom learned that she was pregnant with me she went out and bought a pony for me before I was even born!!! Learning how to ride again post injury was a very empowering experience for me. When I’m riding I’m just like every other rider out there. I am no longer viewed as “that girl in a wheelchair.”  I love how my body feels so at peace when I’m riding. I truly feel like the muscles in my body never “forgot” how to ride.  It’s like my body recognizes the different gaits and immediately adapts to the familiar movements of riding with ease and comfort.

EB:           What are some of the messages/realizations you impart with others that have made you the woman you are today?

Sarah:    The number one thing that I try to impart to everyone who has impacted my life in a positive and loving way is that I am truly grateful for them and all that they have done for me. I have some of the most amazing and dedicated friends that girl could ever ask for. They’ve all enriched my life in so many ways that I often wonder if I can ever fully reciprocate their amazingness. I must admit that my mom is, without a doubt, the most angelic and selfless person on this planet. She was always there for me and she thought me the importance of self-esteem and ambition. She never allowed to me to settle for less than what I deserved. Even when I was in the hospital my mom managed to juggle two full-time jobs and still made time to come and visit me every single day. I am a strong and confident woman because she never allowed me to feel unloved or like any less of a person because of my injury, so to my mom I want to say that I am eternally thankful for you and that I hope you are proud of the woman that you have molded me into over the years.

EB:           Do you still struggle? How so?

Sarah:    To be honest I still have a few daily struggles here and there. Sometimes I get annoyed when I can’t reach something on a high shelf or when I go to public place and they don’t have any accessible restrooms. Overall I really don’t have any lingering emotional struggles. I worked through all of my struggles back when I was first injured. I really just love my life and I try to always keep a positive outlook on things while remaining focused on the future.

EB:           What are some of your proudest achievements and moments? There must be many.

Sarah:    I’ve had a few momentous occasions and achievements in my life, but they are all pale in comparison to my proudest milestone, which occurred on March 22, 2011. On that day I walked in Ekso for the very first time. For the past 8 years I was completely convinced that I would never walk again, no matter what. On that bright and sunny spring day I was able to break that stigma and walk again!!! When I took my very first steps in Ekso I was so mesmerized and riddled with happiness. Since the day I was injured the closest I could ever come to walking again was in my dreams. To actually accomplish the impossible and to see my dreams become a reality is something that is completely life changing.

EB:           Finally, what has the experience of walking in Ekso done for you personally? Can you speak about your progression? Are you more confident?

Sarah:    Walking in Ekso has really restored my sense of hope. I also have a sense of empowerment that I never had before. I really feel like anything is possible now. I had accepted the fact that I was going to spend the rest of my life confined to a wheelchair and that there was no hope for me in regards to walking again, but Ekso changed all of that for me. Walking in Ekso makes my outlook for the future much brighter and a lot more positive. I feel like I am physically and mentally stronger now than I ever have been.

EB:           How does your Mom feel when she sees you walking in Ekso?

Sarah:    I may be an adult now but in my mom’s eyes I will always be her little baby girl, so seeing me walk in Ekso always brings a smile to her face. To quote my mom, “Seeing you so tall and beautiful while walking in Ekso makes me feel like a teenager at a Justin Beiber concert… I am just so happy and mesmerized.”

EB:           Do you have any immediate goals you’d like to fulfill with Ekso? 

Sarah:    The main goal that I’d like to fulfill with Ekso is to revitalize the “sense of hope” for other people who have suffered a spinal cord injury. It’s so hard to remain hopeful and optimistic in regards to walking when you’re told countless times by doctors that “You’ll never walk again.” I want others to realize that are revolutionary things like Ekso out there now, and that because of these amazing advancements in technology they should never ever allow anyone to take away their hopes of walking again.

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.

After graduating architectural school in1980, I spent eleven years on a career path as a graphic designer. I was (supremely lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to be) a pioneer in computer graphics. I got hired as a production artist using a system called Genigraphics. It allowed us to produce (actually, crank out at a ridiculously fast pace compared to previous methods) 35mm slides for business presentations.

Radical for its time, it could draw from a palette of 64 colors, create gradient backgrounds, and involved a two week training process to learn it. They were gorgeous (assuming good design) and the slide production industry exploded. We stored client files on eight inch floppy discs (that were actually floppy, but you might not be of an age to remember that floppy discs were not always rigid, if you’ve even heard of a floppy disc at all). The workstation and film recorder cost a cool half million bucks.

Suffice it to say, I’ve been a firsthand (chronic tendinitis and all) witness to the phenomenal evolution of computing. Now my PHONE blows the Genigraphics workstation out of the water.

For two hundred bucks.

Astounding. Truly and totally amazing.

I’m also thinking about a way cool television series called “Connections” which first aired in the 70s, hosted by a wry, professorial Brit named James Burke. (You can find them on YouTube.) He would trace a present day technology back to its very early roots. Over and over, some development that led to a next development was used in a way that no one ever conceived when they first “discovered” it, be it a material, a process, or an invention of some kind.

Some ancient researcher discovers how a cricket makes its sound and, voila, satellite technology!

Or something of the sort.

In other words, from my sage perspective of having witnessed all this (read: “Gary is blown away that he’s 57 years old already”), I’m thoroughly convinced that creative, exploratory, capably researched and designed technologies and basic science are not only worth doing, but critically important to support. There is no denying that our thinking in the moment is typically narrow, and that technologies can easily accelerate and extend at a pace way beyond what we can get our heads around. Their actual use and value is almost invariably unknown.

What matters is to explore, develop, and put it out there.

Thus the Ekso. It’s a technology that is already transferred from a previous use (which, by the way, was the case with the Genigraphics workstation which arose from NASA imaging technology). The exoskeleton developing in Berkeley started as a device to spare soldiers backs from the heavy loads they must carry. Now people who are paralyzed are taking steps with it.

So if you’re one of those people who (sincerely, I truly understand) doubt the practical value of the Ekso and believe your wheelchair remains the best option (questions which I’ve explored in previous blogs which I hope you’ll take the time to go back and read if you’re new to this one), then I would urge you to take my point here: the Ekso may or may not be a Godsend in the lives of those of us living plenty well, thank you, with paralysis.

But this much I’m completely sure of: whatever value it proves to be will become clear soon enough, and given the precedent of the entirety of human history, it’s entirely worth doing. Worth being excited about.

We just don’t know what more will be born from its current gestational stage.

I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

Ekso Bionics’ Blogger Gary Karp is an author and speaker on what he calls the Modern Disability Experience. His work supports people making a recent adjustment to paralysis, and he helps business and government clients recognize and embrace the historic emergence of people with disabilities as employees. Learn more at www.moderndisability.com.

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.

We partnered with 11 of the top rehabilitation centers in the US to test the device and the user experience. If we include our in-house test pilots, over 100 people with spinal cord injuries have walked in Ekso during the last year. Collectively this group of enthusiastic Ekso test pilots clocked more than 100,000 steps! It has simply been amazing to follow their journey and see their friend’s and their families’ reaction to the moment they stand up and walk for the first time since injury.

Ekso Bionics has grown and developed over the last year in many ways. The number of employees has grown from 26 at the beginning of last year to 70 today. We have completed the necessary regulatory FDA requirements needed to sell to US customers and we are few months shy to complete the European requirements. Our Ekso Ambassadors have become an integral part of our voice, helping us tell their story and how they are participating in the Ekso journey.

Last fall we opened our European headquarters in London and since then we have introduced Ekso across Europe. Next week we are delighted to attend a special launch event by our first European customer and partner, the Prosperius Tiberino Clinica di Rehabilitazione in Umbertide, Italy. We will be in the company of the Italian Minister of Health, Renato Balduzzi, and Prosperius-Group-CEO Prof. Mario Bigazzi where Ekso will be introduced. There will be many more partners joining us in the coming weeks and months all around the world as we continue to showcase Ekso and share our story.

On behalf of the company, I personally want to thank our employees, our Charter Members, suppliers and advisors that have made this journey possible so far. We take our role of revolutionizing mobility very seriously. Our employees have enjoyed watching (and quietly cheering) new test pilots as they walk again for the first time in our facility in Berkeley. Each new pilot has shared a real sense of joy and wonder while taking steps with their friends and family members. Up until this juncture, bionic exoskeletons have been a dream. I am happy to share that our dream turned to a reality and will span across the globe step-by-step. We’ve made a giant leap towards realizing our ultimate goal of providing Eksos for personal use to maximize daily living.

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.

Ekso is a ready-to-wear, battery-powered exoskeleton designed for patients with spinal cord injuries and pathologies that inhibit their ability to walk. It is strapped over the user’s clothing. The patient doesn’t bear the weight, however, as the device transfers its 45 lb. load directly to the ground. Each Ekso can be adjusted in a few minutes to fit most people weighing 220 pounds or less, and between 5’2” and 6’2”, with at least partial upper body strength, and can be adjusted to fit one patient and then another in minutes.

“We said we’d be shipping the first units in Q1 of 2012, and we made that deadline,” explained Eythor Bender, Ekso Bionics’ CEO. “Ekso Bionics has fulfilled all of the FDA requirements that empower the company to sell the first commercial version of the Ekso exoskeleton to rehabilitation centers,” he added. The sale of each exoskeleton to rehabilitation centers includes “Ekso +,” a comprehensive service, financing and training program.

Investigational studies of the device at the Charter Rehabilitation Centers have just been completed. The ten-month program defined clinical protocols, and provided insights into ways to improve the device. The charter hospitals will also become the first Ekso Centers in the world, conducting ongoing research, and offering the device for the rehabilitation of their patients.

Among the preliminary results of the Investigational Studies:
- 70 subjects were proposed by the rehabilitation centers.
- All 63 patients that passed the preliminary health screening were able to walk 81 to 638 steps during their first session in Ekso.
- 7 of the 70 proposed subjects did not pass the preliminary screening due to flexibility, bone density and/or weight issues, so were unable to participate.
- The average number of steps taken in a session was over 200.
- 4,000 to 5,000 steps were taken on average per Investigational Study week.

“It was phenomenal,” architect Robert Woo and patient explained to the NY Daily News after taking 300 steps at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, where he’s undergoing rehabilitation. “I was so excited to be walking on my own two feet, walking naturally.” Michael Rhode, a C6/7 quadriplegic at the Kessler Institute, thought the experience “was one of the most unbelievable feelings I’ve ever had. I just started walking.” He certainly did. Michael took 520 steps during his first session in Ekso.

“We’ve been wowed by the dedication and willingness to collaborate on the part of our rehabilitation partners,” stated Eythor Bender. “The input from their world-class physical therapists led to multiple new and improved features on the Ekso device, such as the adjustment of the harnessing system and the control interface. All of these remarkable centers are still on this journey with us and in it for the long haul. Knowing that every single participant stood and walked during their first session confirms that we are on track to alter the future of spinal cord injury rehabilitation,” he added.

Darrell Musick, PT clinical director for Ekso Bionics, oversaw the Investigational Studies and explained, “We were able to verify the safety of the device with various injury levels, body types and varying height/weight. Moreover, we worked closely with 31 physical therapists and successfully tested the user experience together.”

“Our initial testing clearly showed that with some assistance, patients with different levels of spinal cord injuries (SCI) can walk with Ekso. At Kessler Foundation, we plan to look not just at mobility, but the impact of that mobility on serious health issues. Do walking and standing improve bone and muscle strength, circulation, respiratory function, skin integrity, mood, and even bowel and bladder function? These are the really important issues we want to explore for people in wheelchairs, whether their impairment is caused by spinal cord injury, or stroke, MS, or brain injury,” added Gail F Forrest, Ph.D., senior research scientist, Human Performance & Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation.

Ekso Bionics´ Charter Rehabilitation Centers are:

• Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO
• Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Allentown, PA
• Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ
• Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, NY
• Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), Chicago, IL
• RIM Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, MI
• Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, Honolulu, HI
• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA
• Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, MA
• TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, TX

About Ekso Bionics Ekso Bionics (http://www.eksobionics.com) – formerly known as Berkeley Bionics and headquartered in Berkeley, California with offices in London, UK – is a designer and maker of wearable robots, or exoskeletons, that physically augment humans.

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Twitter: @eksobionics
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Contact:
Beverly Millson, Missing Sock Public Relations
Phone: 512-795-7798/Cell: 310-804-3469
beverly@missingsock.com