The Ascend is a robotic knee brace that won't cost you an arm and a leg

You might be surprised by how many Americans are walking around these days with synthetic joints hidden in their pants. First performed in 1968, more than three-quarters of a million people in the US opted for knee replacement surgery in 2017 alone, according to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons. However, many knee replacement candidates (an estimated 300,000 in 2017) simply aren't yet ready to go under the knife -- whether that's due to health, financial, employment or other reasons -- but who could still benefit from some added support from a medical device. But rather than strap yourself into a P-5000 Powered Work Loader -- or even something slightly less extravagant like the Ekso NR -- Bay Area startup Roam Robotics has a less intensive and expensive means of getting folks with mobility issues back on their feet. It's called the Ascend and it's a sub-$10k exoskeletal knee brace for everybody.