Exoskeleton Provides Hope for Paraplegics 
From: Medical Design Briefs - 11/12/2012

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, somewhere
between 236,000 to 327,000 people in the US are living with serious spinal
cord injuries. About 155,000 have paraplegia.  

But being able to stand and walk again is something that may someday come to
be realized, say engineers at the Vanderbilt University Center for
Intelligent Mechatronics, Nashville, TN. They have developed a powered
exoskeleton that can enable those with severe spinal cord injuries to not
only stand, but to walk, sit, and climb stairs. The robotic suit is light in
weight, compact in size, and modular in design.  

Read the entire article and view a video (3:50) at:
http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2012/10/exoskeleton/

Links:
Michael Goldfarb - Vanderbilt
http://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/me/faculty-staff/michael-goldfarb.php

Center for Intelligent Mechatronics
http://research.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/cim/

NASA and IHMC Develop Robotic Exoskeleton for Space and Possible Use on Earth
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/oct/HQ_12-329_Robonaut_Exoskeleton.html