RXB – Robotic suit helps paralysed film director walk again

London Live – link here.

Maleena Pone – 16th January 2015

Nicholas Fearon, known as ‘Pikki’, is a London-based film producer. With the support of the REX robot, Pikki will walk for the first time since he battled back from life threatening injuries he sustained in an accident 11 years ago. He was told by doctors he would never walk again – but the suit is helping him prove them wrong.
Pikki, who broke his back in 2004, was told he would never walk again but, with sheer determination Pikki turned his life around and has gone on to produce highly acclaimed feature films Rollin With The Nines and Dead Man Running.

Keen to help others with spinal injuries, Pikki is a regular visitor and mentor at Aspire, preparing for the Rio Paralympics in 2016 and inspiring people with disabilities to make the most of their lives by sharing his own personal experiences. There are only 13 of these robotic walkers in the world, each costing up to £95,000. The manufacturer say their hope is to have them available in rehabilitation centres across the UK by 2016.