When I saw Amanda Boxtel standing up from her wheelchair and walking around with an exoskeleton around her body, the fact that exoskeletons have become real hit me. For years, movies have featured these robotic structures that carry people in them but still mimicking the movement of the human body. Avatar, The Edge of Tomorrow, Elysium and Matrix III all depicted them in a way it felt like it would always remain science fiction.

Exoskeletons are robotic structures that are attached to the joints in order to substitute muscle power when it’s needed. It contains a computer in the backpack which can power the robotic components for hours. The prototypes couldn’t really mimic the way we walk but it’s getting better; the elements are getting thinner and the energy source is getting stronger.

A good friend of mine, Remco Hoogendijk, Innovation manager of Sint Maartenskliniek, just told me a…