PhotoBlog - bionic

Man climbs to top of Chicago's 103-story Willis Tower with bionic leg

Zac Vawter, a 31-year-old software engineer from Seattle, Wash., pauses after climbing the stairs to the top of the 103-story Willis Tower using the world's first neural-controlled bionic leg in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 4. According to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, their Center for Bionic Medicine has worked to develop technology that allows amputees like Vawter to better control prosthetics with their own thoughts. Vawter made the climb during the RIC SkyRise Chicago event, a fundraiser for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Video: Bionic man makes climb up 103-story tower

Oct

2012

8:11am, EDT

Man with 'bionic' leg to climb Chicago skyscraper

Brian Kersey / AP

Zac Vawter, who is fitted with an experimental "bionic" leg, is silhouetted on the Ledge at the Willis Tower in Chicago. Vawter, who is in training to climb to the top of the tower using the new prosthesis, recently took the elevator to the 103rd floor to see the view after an afternoon of work in the lab.

The Associated Press reports — Zac Vawter considers himself a test pilot. After losing his right leg in a motorcycle accident, the 31-year-old software engineer signed up to become a research subject, helping to test a trailblazing prosthetic leg that's controlled by his thoughts.

He will put this groundbreaking "bionic" leg to the ultimate test Sunday when he attempts to climb 103 flights of stairs to the top of Chicago's Willis Tower, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers. Read the full story.

Editor's note: These photos were taken on October 25, 2012 and made available to NBC News today.

Brian Kersey / AP

Biomedical engineer Annie Simon, left, and research prosthetist Elizabeth Halsne fit an experimental "bionic" prosthetic leg on Zac Vawter at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Brian Kersey / AP

Dr. Levi Hargrove, lead researcher for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Center for Bionic Medicine, holds an experimental 'bionic' prosthetic leg.

Brian Kersey / AP

Physical therapist assistant Suzanne Finucane, right, helps Zac Vawter as he practices walking at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

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May

2012

11:26am, EDT

Paralyzed athlete completes marathon in sixteen days with bionic legs

Carl Court / AFP - Getty Images

Claire Lomas, who is paralyzed and walks with the aid of a "bionic" suit, finishes the London Marathon on May 8, 16 days after the event began. The former chiropractor was in tears as she became the first person to complete any marathon using a bionic ReWalk suit.

Kerim Okten / EPA

Claire Lomas of Britain celebrates after finishing the London Marathon, 16 days after the race began, in London, Britain, on May 8. Lomas, who is paralyzed from the waist down following a horse riding accident, is the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic ReWalk suit.

Carl Court / AFP - Getty Images

Claire Lomas, right, who is paralyzed and walks with the aid of a "bionic" suit, kisses her daughter Maisie after she finishes the London Marathon on May 8, 16 days after the event began. The former chiropractor was in tears as she became the first person to complete any marathon using a bionic ReWalk suit.

From MSN:

A paralysed woman has become the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic suit.

Claire Lomas finished the London Marathon, crossing the finishing line 16 days after the race began.

The 32-year-old said she was "over the moon" as she completed the 26.2-mile route, which she started on April 22 with 36,000 other participants. Read more here.

After a grueling 16 days, one of the London Marathon's most remarkable competitors finally finished. Claire Lomas, paralyzed from the chest down, managed to cover the 26.2 mile course with the aid of a bionic suit. ITN's Lewis Vaughan Jones reports.