Robots are going to make life a lot easier for amputees and people with spinal cord injuries. Take HAL from CYBERDYNE for instance: it is robotic assistive limb that improves patients’ ability to walk. HAL uses sensors to detect signals from the patient’s body to assist with desired movement.
This neurologically-controlled exoskeleton puts the patients in control, allowing them to see and adjust the signals they are producing. Brooks Rehabilitation is making this tech available to its patients. More info is available here.