By British journalist Nikki Fox was born with muscular dystrophy and hadn't been able to straighten her legs, let alone walk, in 10 years.
But all that changed, thanks to amazing new technology. When she strapped on a robotic exoskeleton to the outside of her legs, she was able to walk using a joystick to control the motorized equipment. She could even "tap dance" by moving her joystick back and forth. Her friends and family looked on during the emotional experience.
"My legs hadn't been that straight since 1995," she wrote in a blog post. "What was quite unbelievable was how I felt afterwards. Standing for half an hour would usually be quite tough but it wasn't."
Fox was named the BBC's disability correspondent in April, after winning awards for her radio and television reporting across Britain. She's now been hosting a series called Learning to Walk Again, talking to people like her who use new technology to regain mobility. The exoskeleton she used is being tested in U.K. hospitals to help patients with rehabilitation.
"I'm not sure I'll be popping down the pub like Robocop," she wrote, "but I have to admit, if I won the lottery, I'd buy one to keep in the house because I know it would keep me stronger for longer."
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