An amazing new medical breakthrough could help scores of people who were once told they’d never walk again. It’s called “eLegs,” and uses robotic technology developed by Berkeley Bionics. Think of an electronic leg brace that can sense arm movements, and then guide the person forward one step at a time. Sensors in special crutches tell a back-pack computer how to move the battery-powered legs.

We saw Amanda Boxtel, who was paralyzed 18-years ago in a ski accident, show us how it works. After undergoing 12-hours of eLeg training, Amanda was overcome with emotion when she demonstrated it at a recent press conference.

“To be able to walk with a natural gate, to look around the world, and to have a heart to heart hug, these are all things that i’ve dreamed for, for so many years,” she said. She called it a “medical miracle,” and many of us there, and who saw the huge smile on her face, were hard pressed to disagree.

There are still some drawbacks and limitations. E-legs will only help paraplegics who have upper body strength and mobility. They need to be able to lift themselves out of their wheelchair, and use those crutches. They also need to have range of motion in their legs, and weigh under 200 lbs.

Perhaps the biggest drawback is that it isn’t available yet for people to use at home. The device first needs to undergo clinical trails at rehabiliation centers across the U.S. Those trials are slated to begin early next year, and if If everything goes well, and the device gets FDA approval, it could be a game changer for the roughly 3-million people in the U.S. who use wheelchairs.

Berkeley Bionics is hoping that by 2013, eLegs will be so compact, paraplegics will able to use it all day, to stand up and walk for the first time since their injury.