Japanese company develops robotic suits for rehabilitating wounded Ukrainian soldiers

Kyodo reports.

Cyberdyne has announced that it has won a $2.4 million order to supply 46 units of its HAL series of robotic suits as part of a Japanese government agency's project to help Ukraine recover from the Russian invasion that began in February 2012.

The HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) suits are to be delivered to a medical facility in Kyiv by March 2025 and will be used to treat people with spinal cord injuries and other muscle problems.

HALs are designed to improve, maintain, and regenerate the user's physical functions by detecting signals sent from the brain to the muscles to initiate movement.

Using sensors attached to the surface of the skin, the suit allows users to walk or lift heavy objects with ease, even with severely weakened muscles, Cyberdyne reports.

The company will supply products to the electrical equipment manufacturer Ogawa Seiki Co. which won a tender to supply heavy machinery, as well as rehabilitation and medical equipment to Ukraine under a project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

• On November 27, Ukraine received $235 million from the Japanese government as part of the World Bank's LEARN and RISE projects to support education and the private sector.