Canadian boffins are testing semi-autonomous exoskeletons that could help people with limited mobility walk again without the need for implanted sensors. Researchers at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, are hard at work trying to combine modern deep-learning systems with robotic prostheses. They hope to give disabled patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries or strokes, or are inflicted with conditions including multiple sclerosis, spinal, cerebral palsy, and osteoarthritis, the ability to get back on their feet and move freely. The project differs from other efforts for amputees that involve trying to control the movement of machines using electrodes implanted in nerves and muscles in the limbs and brain, explained Brock Laschowski, a PhD student at the university who is leading the ExoNet study. "Our control approach wouldn't necessarily require human thought. Similar to autonomous cars that drive themselves, we're designing autonomous exoskeletons that walk for themselves."

Nine years ago, David Mzee was left paralysed by a gymnastics accident and told he would never walk again. Last week, he competed in a charity run during which he walked 390 metres, thanks to an experimental treatment that uses electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to rejuvenate dormant circuits in patients whose spinal breaks are not complete. Designed by the Chinese organisation CloudMinds, Meta looks like a cycling helmet and uses sensors and cameras to map its environs, sending information to a cloud server to be processed by AI technology. The information can be communicated through speech, helping blind people and those with visual impairments to navigate streets, recognise objects and negotiate traffic lights and crossings. A cochlear implant might be nothing new, but researchers at Columbia University, New York, are working on a "cognitive hearing aid", which monitors the brain activity of users to identify which voice the listener is focusing on.

Also on this BBC Ouch show, the disabled teen punk who left home to find an independent life for herself in the less-accessible 80s. And the action movie where sign language is a super-power.

Like the rest of the automotive industry, Toyota is beginning to think past the traditional automobile and focus on mobility. And with that, the company has shown off its Human Support Robot (HSR), after testing it with a U.S. war veteran in his home. The HSR is part of a number of projects Toyota is working on to aid mobility mobility for those who have impaired functions. The at-home test, a first of its kind, was done with the help of Romulo "Romy" Carmago, who suffered injuries in Afghanistan that caused him to become paralyzed from the neck down. The robot contains wheels and has visual sensors, along with an arm that can do tasks for those it is helping, like handling door knobs or grasping objects.