The Company’s product portfolio includes three InMotion® Robots for rehabilitation following stroke and other neurological conditions and four products in varying stages of development. Resulting from groundbreaking research at the Newman Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the InMotion® robots provide effective, patient-adaptive therapy, intended to restore upper-extremity motor control for a broad range of neurological conditions and recovery stages, including early recovery from acute stroke.
InMotion® Robots also provide objective evaluation assessments intended to measure and report the patient’s level of motor impairment and progress during the course of therapy. A home version of the InMotion® upper-extremity technology is in development.
Technologies
The ARKE™ exoskeleton utilizes Bionik’s proprietary transmission and actuation system, making it one of the most powerful robotic devices compared to similar systems. It will now include device control, utilizing multiple sensors located throughout the device in combination with Alexa. Users will be able to activate different activity modes, such as Standing and Walking, by saying “Alexa, I’m ready to stand” or “Alexa, I’m ready to walk.”
Most movements – including walking and standing – are initiated by the upper body. As such, sensors in the feet, angle sensors in the joints, and inertial measurement units feel how the body weight is distributed and, combined with upper body information and movements, allow you to take a step. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to translate information from all this sensor information intelligently activates the ARKE™ for those paralyzed from the waist down, as it mimics movements that would generally allow an able person to take steps.
Bionik’s current ARKE™ product is in clinical development and aimed toward use by those who have suffered a spinal cord injury or are otherwise severely impaired in their lower body due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, or some other incident. Further opportunity also exists within the aging population, approaching a billion people globally, who rely on unstable walkers or other wheeled devices for mobility.
Following its recent partnership with Wistron Corporation, the Company is seeking to produce a home-type exoskeleton product with a lower price point that is more accessible to the average consumer. The goal will be to make these devices financeable, so the user pays a smaller monthly fee than normal cost of care – building a ramp, paying for nurses, wheelchair rental – would be for someone with a mobility injury.
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