🤖 Exoskeletons, joystick walks, and a miracle college student defying paralysis

After surviving heart failure, cancer (twice), and paralysis, Caroline Laubach is walking again, thanks to a robotic exoskeleton powered by a joystick.

When it comes to technology, there's a little bit of a "what have you done for me lately?" vibe going around. We’ve grown accustomed to electric cars (whose range isn’t increasing), there’s nothing exciting in the world of phones anymore (except minor camera bumps), and AI feels more like a threat than a toy. As a long-time tech enthusiast, I was genuinely excited to see Erik Barnes' story come across my desk, in which one woman’s comeback reminds us what innovation should feel like: hopeful.

At NVIDIA’s GTC 2025, Caroline Laubach demoed a robotic exoskeleton from Wandercraft that helps her stand, walk, bend, and even climb stairs. This first-of-its-kind device doesn’t just restore mobility; it restores moments, like standing eye-to-eye with friends again.

Before strapping into the suit, Laubach had already defied more odds than most people face in a lifetime: a spinal stroke, heart transplant, and two battles with cancer before age 22. Her story earned her Survivor of the Year honors, but this latest chapter might be her biggest triumph yet.

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And what did we learn?

Yesterday, we brought you the story of a pitt bull named Ron that went from death row to the streets as a member of the K9 narcotics unit. If a pittie can do it, so can other breeds. I asked you, GOOD readers, which breed should join the force next.

Over a third of you howled your opinion that Huskies made the most sense.

• Irish Wolfhounds, we’ll just need bigger cars. (16.3%)

• Corgis, Cheddar looked so good in the station (Nine-Nine!) (11.6%)

• Pugs, wheezing their way into the interrogation room. (4.7%)

• Huskies, we'd save money on sirens. Awhoooooo! (34.9%)

• Why aren't we talking about cats? It's their time. (18.6%)

• Something else (14.0%)

Daschshunds got a lot of love in the write-in section. Reader TWCoan made the case thusly: “Dachshunds have noses like laser driven radars and an angry wiener dog is terrifying. Plus, a wiener dog in a vest would be so handsome / pretty. I led a Humane Society and it was always the little ones that were most scary. “

🎙️ The comeback of Scatman John: Jazz, joy, and one man’s stutter turned superpower

The stutter and the scat is the same thing.

🌳  What lonely kids really want instead of screen time

Experts reveal what actually pulls them off their tablets.

We all know the irony. You tell your kid to “go play outside,” then immediately check your notifications. Do as I say, not as I scroll. The hypocrisy is real. But parenting isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. And in this story by Erik Barnes, real therapists and child development experts share five ways to help kids put the screen down without losing your mind (or theirs).

These are expert-backed, field-tested habits that address something bigger than screen time, loneliness. One therapist suggests starting simple, like letting your child grow something green. Even a tiny plant can teach patience, spark curiosity, and reconnect them to something living. Another recommends finding your child’s “third place,” that magical space that’s not home or school, but a community spot where kids can just be kids again.

It’s not about banning screens (good luck with that). It’s about creating better options, real-world, shared experiences that build connection instead of isolation. And honestly, these tips have no age limit, you might find one that helps you, too.

Tonight, countless kids will don space suits and set out on one-hour “expeditions” to chart uncharted sidewalks and return with a galaxy’s worth of sweets. (There’s a Milky Way joke in here somewhere!) Twenty-five Halloweens ago today, October 31, 2000, three real explorers donned their space suits and launched from Baikonur. Two days later, they opened the hatch to the International Space Station, switching on a light that’s stayed on ever since.

In the 25 years that followed, the ISS has hosted more than 4,000 experiments, yielded over 4,400 published research results, and welcomed 290 people from 26 countries, an orbiting neighborhood of scientists and dreamers proving that when we go exploring together, there’s no telling what riches we’ll discover.

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We’re always on the lookout for uplifting, enlightening, and engaging content to share with readers like you. If you have something you think should be featured in the Daily GOOD, let me know!

💬 From the group text…

Zero bones to pick with this choreography, but it looks like these dancers worked themselves to the bone to put on this number for you.

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