Directions:Read the following passage.
Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60
words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Robotic Exoskeletons
Thanks to robotic exoskeletons, victims of spinal cord (脊髓) injury have a new reason to hope. Robotic exoskeletons, consisting of metal legs, motors, batteries, wiring, a controller and a set of strips work together like the user's bones, muscles and nerves-outside the body. Fastened into an exoskeleton and supported by sticks, users can direct the machinery to take them where they want to go.
In addition to partly restoring mobility, robotic exoskeletons offer the significant mental and physical health benefits of standing up and moving. Just being able to get up from a wheelchair gives patients a more natural, positive view of the world. It also helps relieve pressure on patients' skin and reduces the danger of pressure sores. Standing upright strengthens a disabled person's muscles and bones, improves heart health,and reduces certain other health complications (并发症). And it may actually result in partial nerve repair, something that can only happen when a patient is able to move.
As promising as this technology is, however, it is no simple cure-all for paralysis(瘫痪) or its complications. The motion is not accurate compared with natural walking, and exoskeletons are not easy to use, especially on surfaces that are not smooth. They are very expensive, costing about US$100000. Health insurance plans and government programs may not cover the cost of buying one.
Nevertheless, robotic exoskeletons, and access to them, will continue to improve. As with much modem technology, robotic exoskeletons will likely become more capable and easy to use, even as their cost goes down. Governments and insurers may increasingly see that the health benefits of these walking machines outweigh the costs, making it easier to fund them. Perhaps the day will come when nearly everyone paralyzed by spinal cord injury will be able to "walk" again.