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The VA has agreed to pay for the powered exoskeleton for eligible paralyzed veterans with spinal cord injuries — marking the first federal coverage policy for robotic legs in the United States. (12/17)

ReWalk Robotics Ltd. shares surged after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to pay for the company’s robotic exoskeleton to help paralyzed soldiers walk again. The shares rose 83 percent to $11 at the close in New York, the biggest single-day jump since their September 2014 debut. The stock had fallen from a peak of $37.15 just days after the initial public offering as the Israeli company struggled to build a market for the device that is strapped onto paraplegics to power their knees and hips and provide support as they walk again. (Cortez and Clark, 12/17)

A new wave of wearable computing devices that detect and monitor serious diseases is moving from the laboratory to the market, potentially transforming the treatment of conditions ranging from epilepsy to diabetes and creating business opportunities estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. (12/18)