vawter's right leg was amputated after a 20-09 motorcycle accident. his surgeon repositioned the exposed nerves to new spots in his hamstring, "rewiring" the nerves for future prosthetic use. vawter has been working with the rehabilitation institute of chicago in testing the device. now he just needs to think "climb stairs" and the leg responds accordingly. >> i go up the stairs just like you would. it is processing the signals >> the leg is built out of aluminum alloys and weighs about nine pounds. zac's willis tower climb was the bionic leg's first test in the public eye. coming up on wgn news... updated information on the funeral of captain herbert johnson.. the chicago firefighter who died friday night. a horrendous accident at a pittsburg zoo leaves a little child dead. and the newest addition to chicago's o'hare airport....the dreamliner has arrived. hello jim... i will have details and the forecast just ahead... break [ male announcer ] this is steve. he loves risk. but whether he's climbing everest scuba diving the great barrier reef with shar

>> reporter: when zac vawter heads out for a walk with his family, his amputated leg is no big deal.re they remember dad with a normal leg, so it's just the way it is. >> reporter: but what he wants to do now, with a different leg, is a very big deal. it could help in changing the lives of thousands of amputees who have lost a leg. it involves this experimental leg, that like the real thing, obeys signals from his brain. but his story starts with a 2009 motorcycle accident that cost him his leg from the knee down. vawter knew about experimental surgeries so he persuaded neurosurgeons to save nerves from the amputated leg and attach them above the knee. he reached out to dr. levi hargrove at the center for bionic medicine. he wanted a chance at this leg. >> we have electrodes or sensors, antennas o his muscles. he thinks about bending his knee or benning his ankle. we decode those signals and send a command to the center. >> reporter: the $8 million is funned by the military, anxious to find better prosthetics for wounded warriors. >> i think about moving my foot or knee or leg like a

amputee zac vawter made hisy bed >>> he is not the first man to climb up this tower but the firstdo it in chicago with a bionic leg. he made history when he climbed 103 floors. the climb all part of the sky rise chicago charity event to raise funds for the rehabilitation institute of chicago. >> good for him. >> no kidding. >> well, 4:44 right now. let's check the weather. >>> it was so nice this weekend. >> just beautiful. yeah. thank you very much. thank you. [ applause ] >> take a bow, my friend >> you know what? i was talking to my weather producer, he goes, that's it i'm calling it this is the last night weekend we're going to visit year. >> oh, it will happen in december, too. >> we'll get it back again but enjoy the next couple of days because these are going to be something else. tell you what. some record-breaking heat. we're not going to see triple digits but some of those numbers will be in the 80s. outside now we have mostly clear skies. numbers mainly in the 50s. we are seeing a couple of patches of valley ground fog showing up in the north bay so watch out for that early

zac vawter lost his right leg in ape motorcycle accident three years ago. he now has a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg controlled by his mind. electrical impulses literally travel from his brain to his hamstring, triggering movement in his artificial leg. >> the charity climb of 2,100 steps took about 45 minutes and raised money for the rehabilitation institute of chicago, which helped develop the technology in his leg. amazing. >> congrats, man. technology. whoo, impressive. >>> coming up, our coverage of tuesday's election continues after the break. >>> up next, an abc news investigation. a group with tea party affiliations could be watching you at the polls. why some say it is a classic case of voter intimidation. you're watching "world news now." ♪ i have no privacy ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me ♪ ♪ tell me is it just a dream ♪ when i come home at night ♪ tell me is it just a dream e, until it's completely clean. lysol toilet bowl cleaner gives you maximum coverage from the rim down to the water line to kill 99.9% of germs. and removes sta

zac vawter did it sunday, climbing to the top of the willis tower with one leg.rolled prosthetics. it's a thought-controlled prosthetic limb. also arms. these are becoming available commercially. the leg that he used is specially advanced. it's years way from being sold. it's still a remarkable thing. >> another heartwarming story, the senator from illinois, who had a very bad stroke last year, he walked up to the top at part of his comeback, as well. >> special hurricane edition? >> yeah, we're going to call it the sock-it to you sandy. edition of "pop news." we're fighters and today is a day of giving here at abc. we're not the only ones lending a hand helping victims of hurricane sandy. maroon 5 frontman adam levine is doing his part yesterday. he did so in a very hollywood kind of way. he turned the tables on the paparazzi follows him. he stopped by a group of residents where he made a sign encouraging passers-by to donate to the red cross. he even gave them the text number to do so, fully knowing that his picture would be flashed on tup anewspapers and websi