A British man who became paralysed after a New Year’s Eve accident is now able to walk again thanks to an AI robot.
Dan Richards was told he’d spend the rest of his life bed-bound.
The 37-year-old had gone for a cold-water dip when he dove into a wave and ended up breaking his neck.
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He’s now able to move his arms and fingers, as well as use a wheelchair, but an AI robot has seen the gas engineer walk for the first time in two years.
“My initial reaction was that of disbelief,” Dan, from Swansea, told Need To Know.
“I couldn’t believe this technology existed and it was so close.”
Dan went for the dip with his partner, Anna Thomas, 39, on New Year’s Eve 2023.
He later started a fundraiser to help gather enough money to cover his lengthy rehabilitation.
But while in hospital, in 2024, he learned about the life-changing suit –and world-first combined treatment.
He said: “I discharged myself two months early from hospital to be able to start treatment in the suit.
“After using it for a few months and seeing some very good progress, I started researching stem cell therapy and different kinds of treatment with exoskeletons.
“I found [an option] in Germany that was going to combine [the two] together.”
The stem cell therapy works by removing damaged scar tissue in his neck, which will connect his neural pathways and parts of the spinal cord again.
The suit targets his brain signals and translates them into movement, which then repairs the link between his brain and muscles.
In June 2025, he flew out for his first session.
Even though it took a while to get used to, it began responding to him on the fourth go.
Sadly, it comes at a whopping £26,000 cost for the stem cell therapy and a further £20,000 for the suit.
Dan isn’t giving up hope, though, and is continuing to raise money to see this through.
He’s now regained feeling in his legs and feet, as well as movement in his right leg and core strength.
Dan is also able to hold things once again.
He added: “The aim is for me to get as much function back as possible.
“The clinic is quite confident I’ll be able to stand one day and take steps.
“Something that I was told would be impossible.
“It means the world to me that this technology exists, as it gives hope.
“It’s given me movement back and proved that nothing is really impossible.
“I believe it’s only going to get better – it’s incredible.”
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