A Vancouver woman who was shocked to learn she'd never walk again is about to prove doctors wrong thanks to cutting edge technology being developed at Simon Fraser University.

Three years ago, Chloe Angus was told she had a tumour in her spinal cord and she would be confined to a wheelchair for years to come.

“Some of the best doctors in the country were telling me I would never walk again," she said.

But Angus has already been up and moving with the help of exoskeleton technology.

Exoskeletons, or external robotic hardware that wraps around the body to help people move, have been around for some time, but the technology has been limited, until now.

“[The Exomotion] is the most advanced exoskeleton system that you’ve seen,” said Siamak Arzanpour, professor at SFU’s Bio Mechatronic Systems Lab.

With other exoskeletons on the market users still need walkers or crutches to maintain balance. But the Exomotion is a wearable lower limb robotic system with a full range of motion for hips and ankles.

“This mechanism and this motion generation system enables you to have all the degrees of freedom you need for natural walking,” explained Arzanpour, “It can cover the full range of motion.”

The team has spent three years and $500,000 creating the device and it’s now ready to test on a person.

"I am like a kid before Christmas. I can't wait to get into it," said Angus.

But first Arzanpour will test it himself.

"There are always uncertainties that we need to be careful about make sure this device is safe for Chloe and it will not cause any further damage to her," he explained.

When the Exomotion is complete it will have sensors to maintain stability and balance. And the team has been monitoring power consumption to develop a lightweight battery pack.

If all goes well, Angus will give it a try later this month.

"I have more fear about living the rest of my life in a wheelchair than I do trying out the next generation of exoskeleton."

The team is optimistic the project could hit the market within two years. After government approvals it's expected that this next generation exoskeleton will cost $100,000. But the engineers argue other medical costs associated with using a wheelchair far exceed the exoskeleton price tag.

The device is not just for people who use wheelchairs, but anyone who has mobility issues, including the elderly.