Cyberdyne - HAL for rehabilitation

The robot suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) is a so-called exoskeleton, a robot suit for support when in rehabilitation. The Japanese company Cyberdyne Inc has set up business in Sweden, and prior to the product launch clinical testing will be conducted at Danderyd University Hospital. Cyberdyne is Robotdalen’s second international business establishment in Sweden and part of establishing Technology for Independent Life as a new line of business.

When a person moves around, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles. But when a person suffers from e.g. a stroke, the communication between the brain and the muscles can deteriorate, resulting in diminished mobility. However, even weak signals can be picked up via the skin. Using electrodes placed on the skin over specific muscles, these signals can be registered, amplified by the robot suit and translated into activation of the exoskeleton, thus enabling movement. This is how the robot suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) works.

Robotdalen’s second international business establishment

The company Cyberdyne Sweden AB is already up-and-running. Prior to the product launch clinical tests will be conducted at Karolinska Institutet at Danderyd University Hospital in Sweden, in order to get the proper quality CE marking for the European market. The clinical tests will focus on early rehabilitation after a stroke. Future areas of use are on patients with other disabilities after injuries or diseases in the nervous system. The robot suit HAL is not yet available on the Swedish market and we are at the forefront of Europe in terms of testing and product launching. Cyberdyne is Robotdalen’s second international business establishment. Previously, Giraff Technologies has moved their company from Silicon Valley in the U.S. to Sweden.