Man builds world's first 'exoskeleton' to help wife walk after cancer surgery

ITV News West Country's Jacquie Bird went to see the amazing invention in action.

A Devon man has invented the world's first exoskeleton to allow his wife to walk again after having cancer surgery.

Jane Fryer thought she would spend the rest of her life on crutches after half her pelvis and the top of her femur were removed.

Her husband Paul, who is not an engineer, became an internet expert in many things to create a world first - an external skeleton that would give his wife Jane a new hip.

Reflecting on her life before surgery, Jane said: "It was life-changing. I used to work in London and I went in every day and my whole life changed. It was devastating."

Paul was determined to find a way to restore his wife's independence.

He said: "I wanted to see if I could find something that would help Jane stand up. Once we got that working, I thought 'wouldn't it be nice if she could walk with one crutch?'

"And when we got her walking with one crutch I then thought 'it'd be really nice if she could walk with no crutches, but that was never part of our ambition."

There have been a number of prototypes along the way, but a major breakthrough came just before Christmas.

Jane said: "I feel so much better. I'm stood up and it's so much better for your mental health to be able to look people in the eye and talk to them and do more things in a similar way to previously."

The couple has been working with prosthetic and rehab experts from Exeter and a manufacturing company in Bovey Tracey.

Paul's invention has made a huge difference to Jane's life and he hopes that, in the future, someone will take his idea on to develop it for others.