The Canada-based developer of a wearable lower-limb exoskeleton called XoMotion is supplying the Canadian government with two units for clinical testing at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Human in Motion Robotics (HMR) was co-founded by Waterloo Engineering alumnus Dr. Siamak Arzanpour (PhD ’07, mechanical engineering) in 2016. In just six years, Arzanpour and his team have successfully built a wearable robot that is designed to get people out of wheelchairs and walking again with full mobility and independence.
The Human in Motion Robotics (HMR) exoskeleton, XoMotion.
The company’s government contract is thanks to Innovative Solutions Canada, a Government of Canada innovation procurement program, recently awarding HMR $663,000. The Department of National Defence will evaluate how the two XoMotion units perform in the clinical tests.
"At HMR, we are so pleased and very excited for this opportunity by Innovative Solutions Canada to demonstrate the unique capabilities of our exoskeleton in revolutionizing physical therapy and to significantly elevate the standard of care worldwide." Arzanpour said in a media release.
XoMotion enables users to stand up, bend down, walk and move their joints independently. Stabilizers in the exoskeleton help wearers use and exercise their upper bodies while standing up without falling over.
Movement is crucial to overall health. XoMotion is designed to help people in wheelchairs regain strength and alleviate pressure sores.