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A paralyzed Israeli engineer recently developed a machine that allows him to walk, and a rehab center in Downey is the first place in the Western U.S. to put what's being called the robotic exo-skeleton to use.
KTLA reports that several of the machines, called ReWalks, were donated to the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. Each is worth about $85,000.
The machine attaches to the user's legs and allows him or her to stand up and move around. In it, a person who before couldn't walk can climb stairs, stand and sit and get in and out of cars.
Right now, the ReWalk is only approved for paraplegics and for use in hospital settings, but experts hope that eventually it will be given the green light to be used in people's homes and for those with more severe injuries or paralysis.
