At St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital in Austin, Joe Fischer is one of two patients using the ReWalk Rehabilitation system, which the hospital started using in December, said Dr. Juan Latorre, medical director of the Spinal Cord Injury and Amputee Program.

While on a hunting trip in 2009, Fischer fell from a deer stand—a vantage point about 20 feet in the air. He landed on his hip, breaking four vertebrae.

He uses a wheelchair for mobility but still has control of his upper body, he said. Fischer wears the motor-driven robotic device and uses a wristwatch to control ReWalk's computer, which interprets his commands. The suit detects shifts in his balance and then moves his legs in a manner similar to his natural gait.

"Imagine for somebody who has been in a chair for years sometimes to be able to stand and walk—it's something that's just quite remarkable," Latorre said, noting ReWalk helps patients be more independent and reduces fracture risks. "We're excited to be the first hospital in Central Texas ... that has this technology."