Amanda Boxtel

Since February 27, 1992, former Brisbane-ite Amanda Boxtel has dreamed of walking again. On that fateful date, a freak skiing accident in Aspen-Snowmass, Colorado, rendered her with a permanent spinal cord injury from the pelvis down. She has since been involved in community and outreach projects that aim to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities in the United States. Boxtel is the founding Executive Director for the Bridging Bionics Foundation, demonstrating how bionic exoskeleton technology has a positive impact on the quality of life. Boxtel showcased the first partially 3D printed exoskeleton in the world for Singularity University’s European Summit in Budapest, Hungary, and then again at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. In November 2014 Boxtel presented her forwarding thinking ideas about neuro-rehabilitation and humanizing technology at TEDCity2.0 in Chengdu China.

Boxtel was the first person in the United States to own an EksoTM bionic exoskeleton suit manufactured by Ekso Bionics, which she acquired in June 2013. She has since donated her exoskeleton to the Bridging Bionics Foundation for use in the Aspen Community to help others who are paralyzed walk. She has walked in four bionic exoskeleton suits from different manufacturers around the world, including Ekso, ReWalk, Indigo, and a prototype from Bionik Labs in Canada. Her goal is to test pilot as many exoskeletons available in the market today to expand her experience and knowledge so she can speak to audiences from an authentic stance. She lives with her golden retriever, Benson, in Basalt near Aspen, Colorado.