Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc., a robotic exoskeleton company, announced today that Bergmannstrost Center in Halle, Germany, a leader in rehabilitation research, presented data today at The International Workshop on Wearable Robotics, WeRob2014 in Baiona, Spain showing the benefits of the Ekso™ robotic suit compared to ReWalk and Cyberdyne.
The presentation followed recent publication of the article "Comparison of Therapy with the Exoskeletons ReWalk, Ekso and HAL" by Dr. Jane Nitschke and Dr. Klaus Rohl, which was published in German in the Journal Orthopädietechnik.
The presentation detailed the advantages of Ekso over other robotic exoskeletons in the clinical environment, citing the ease of changing from patient to patient in Ekso, the absence of skin injuries from using the Ekso Bionics™device, and the operation of its Variable Assist™ software.
"Ekso was the best choice for us at this time for rehabilitation therapy," said Dr. Nitschke.
The release of this study comes on the heels of four centers in Germany recently ordering the Ekso robotic exoskeleton and after utilizing the Ekso GT and other competitors' devices with their patients. BG Bergmannstrost, BG Tübingen, BG Duisburg and RKU Ulm have all recently placed orders of the Ekso Bionics suit and the centers will use the Ekso GT robotic exoskeleton to perform gait training. The device uniquely offers gait training rehabilitation for complete SCI, incomplete SCI and non-or pre-ambulatory individuals post-stroke stroke patients using variable assistance and a hemiplegic mode that does not otherwise exist in the industry.
"Germany is the ideal market for us, because the doctors take the time to compare systems by actually using them with their own patients. They don't just watch a demonstration of an optimized pilot operating the systems. They try different patients of different sizes and conditions. In that environment, there is no match at this time," said Ekso Bionics Chief Executive Officer Nathan Harding. "Rehab is where the market is right now, and our exoskeleton offering is unparalleled in terms of ease-of-use and patient inclusion - this is one of the biggest reasons behind the recent additional uptake and shipment of 15 systems during the last quarter," he added.
Ekso Bionics designs, develops, and commercializes exoskeletons, or wearable robots, which have a variety of applications in the medical, military, industrial, and consumer markets. Exoskeletons are ready-to-wear, battery-powered robots that are strapped over the user's clothing, enabling individuals to achieve mobility, strength, and endurance not otherwise possible. Ekso Bionics' lead product, EksoTM, is a wearable bionics suit that enables individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness to stand up and walk over ground. Ekso is forging a new frontier in rehabilitation for people living with the consequences of stroke, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions affecting gait.
About Ekso Bionics
Since 2005, Ekso Bionics has been pioneering the field of robotic exoskeletons, or wearable robots, to augment human strength, endurance and mobility. The company's first commercially available product called Ekso has helped thousands of people living with paralysis take millions of steps not otherwise possible. By designing and creating some of the most forward-thinking and innovative solutions for people looking to augment human capabilities, Ekso Bionics is helping people rethink current physical limitations and achieve the remarkable.
Ekso Bionics is headquartered in Richmond, CA and is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol EKSO. To learn more about Ekso Bionics please visit us at www.eksobionics.com