Exoskeleton suits: can 'superhuman' frames cross into the mainstream?

Companies that make exoskeleton suits are hoping the devices might soon become as commonly provided as wheelchairs. Private medical insurers and at least three state health providers have agreed to cover the cost of the cyborg-type wearables for people unable to walk. Germany made a landmark decision this year when it registered exoskeletons – normally prohibitively expensive at prices in the tens of thousands of pounds – on its official list of medical aids, providing a degree of obligation on insurers to pay. In Italy, the Israeli-made ReWalk suit was added to a state-run workplace insurance body. The US Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded its policy to include the devices at private rehabilitation clinics for veterans with spinal cord injuries.