Robotic legs enables paralyzed man to walk again

Hayden Allen suffered five years ago a motorcycle accident that affected the spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed. The doctors said that Allen never walk again, but got it wrong.A New Zealand company created a pair of robotic legs that enabled Allen to walk again.
Allen was the first person in the world to use robotic legs, known as 'Rex', which allow the movement to people who are in wheelchairs.
The equipment 'Rex' weighs 38 pounds and is made individually for each person. It is controlled via a joystick and a control panel. The battery is rechargeable and slight and lasts about a day.
Dr. Roxburgh, neurologist and medical adviser to the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Auckland, New Zealand, says that "for many patients, the Rex is the first opportunity we have to stand and walk in years.
There are immediate benefits from the use of Rex in terms of mobility, better social interaction and increased self-esteem. It also improves the quality of life and health because it reduces the problems resulted from the fact that the patient always sitting in a wheelchair. "
It is expected that the sale of Rex begins in New Zealand later this year and that sales worldwide by 2011.