Wounded Navy veteran Jason Geiser demonstrated a medical exoskeleton "SoldierSuit" Tuesday on Fox News that's allowing him to walk after seven years of being unable to do so.
The SoldierSuit is a rehabilitation suit that helps target a variety of combat related injuries. The nonprofit SoldierStrong has a goal of getting the cutting edge technology in every Veterans Affairs hospital. The suits, which cost $150,000 each, are controlled by the wounded veteran with a set of crutches that goes from standing to walking mode. The sitting to standing mode needs to be triggered by a physical therapist. The suit senses when the soldier shifts his weight and assists in moving their legs so that they can take steps.
Geiser said that the suit has been able to give him a sense of independence back. Geiser was told seven years ago that he would never be able to walk again but with the new technology, he showed on the Fox set that he could. Geiser said that the suits have helped him stretch and relieve nerve pain.
"Once you lose your mobility, it takes something away from you," Geiser said. "It feels amazing just to be standing tall and able to have a conversation standing up. It's seeing the world from six feet tall again."
SoldierStrong Co-founder Chris Meeks said that he came across the company that produces the exoskeleton suits by reading a magazine. He later met with the company and set out to fund ten of the SoldierSuits.
Currently there are only ten available. When soldiers come in for rehabilitation, they are able to wear the suits and walk around for about an hour. Meeks said that the organization has plans to purchase more and get them into all of the VAs as well as spinal cord injury centers that are part of the VA medical system.
SoldierStrong has shipped over 50,000 pounds of essentials to the troops overseas. The nonprofit shifted focus as the troops started coming home and went from sock drives to working with a company to help wounded soldiers literally get back on their feet.