Rewalk Robotics starts to take its first steps

Former army guardsman James Johnson wants to walk into his favourite restaurant and stand at a bar with friends.

But the 31-year-old, who has no feeling from the chest down, has been using a wheelchair since his first tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2012.

His ambition to walk again, however, will soon become a reality as Mr Johnson becomes the first British soldier to own a pair of bionic legs by Israeli-based company Rewalk Robotics.

"It's amazing to have this opportunity," Mr Johnson says. "I'm very much a fan of the little things this is going to give me, like standing at the bar with your mates or just going for a walk."

Rewalk is one of a handful of technology companies that make high-tech wearable robotic exoskeletons for wheelchair users, a fledgling market that is slowly beginning to take off. Last year, tetraplegic Irving Caplan, who was paralysed after a cycling accident 18 years ago, made headlines after he crossed a dance floor wearing a pair of Rex Bionic legs to deliver a speech at his daughter's wedding in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Mr Johnson says he tried a number of exoskeleton devices but Rewalk's system suited him best. The 20 kilogrammes device, which costs £40,350, holds the legs in place and uses sensors to know which direction the person wants to walk by the tilt of their body. It is powered by a rechargeable battery in a backpack and a digital watch allows the user to programme what it wants to do, such as walk, sit or climb stairs.

Rewalk, which listed in the US last September, is looking to expand its presence in the UK. This week it opens a training centre at the University of Salford, Manchester, where Mr Johnson will be trained to use the bionic legs. It typically takes about 15 one-and-a-half-hour sessions to be trained to use the device independently.

According to the charity Spinal Research, there are about 50,000 people living with paralysis in the UK and Ireland. In the US, the number is higher at about 273,000, of which about 42,000 are veterans.

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While robotic exoskeletons provide health benefits to users, sales have yet to gain significant momentum because of the high cost of the product and the reluctance by governments or private insurance companies to cover the cost.

"Insurance is the crucial point," Mr Jasinski says. "We're trying to help them understand with data the health benefits these devices offer. Research has already shown that it results in a significant reduction in the money spent on medication."

Rex Bionics, which was founded by two Scottish engineers and is now based in New Zealand, last year warned that sales of its product were materially behind market expectations because doctors required more robust evidence of the health benefits of its bionic legs.

Rex's device differs from Rewalk as it does not use crutches for balance. Its exoskeleton, which has been compared to Wallace and Gromit's Wrong Trousers, is bulkier and is controlled by a small joystick at waist height. It costs about £91,000.

The Aim-listed company is in the midst of conducting its first clinical trial. Like Rewalk, it is targeting the devices at rehabilitation centres for disabled people and military organisations helping paralysed soldiers.

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