Description

HAL Lower Limb is CYBERDYNE’s powered lower-extremity exoskeleton family for supporting standing, walking, and lower-limb movement training. CYBERDYNE currently presents the lower-limb HAL lineup in two related sets: Medical HAL Lower Limb Type, intended as a medical device for treating individuals with lower-limb disorders, and Well-Being HAL Lower Limb Type, a non-medical version for lower-limb functional training and well-being applications.

Across the family, HAL Lower Limb uses non-invasive surface sensors to detect bio-electrical signals associated with the wearer’s intended movement and provides powered assistance at the hip and knee joints. The devices are adjustable for wearer fit, including leg length, hip width, and foot size, and CYBERDYNE lists both double-leg and single-leg configurations for the model series. The medical HAL models are intended for clinical treatment. Medical HAL Lower Limb Type is FDA-cleared for the United States and CE-marked for the EU medical-device market. CYBERDYNE lists the non-medical Well-Being HAL Lower Limb Type as available only in Japan.

• Product URL: Medical HAL Lower Limb Type: https://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/products/LowerLimb_medical.html
• Product URL: Well-Being HAL Lower Limb Type: https://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/products/fl05.html
• Application(s): Lower-limb rehabilitation; medical gait training; functional training; standing, sitting, and walking support

The brainchild of Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai, the earliest HAL prototype was developed around 1997.  This has given the HAL exoskeleton nearly 20 years to mature into a successful medical robot (the current HAL is the 5th iteration of the design).

CYBERDYNE also lists HAL Peripherals for use with the HAL Lower Limb, describing them as assistive devices intended to make gait training safer and more effective. These include HAL Tread, a treadmill with an integrated hanging frame for trunk support during walking exercise; HAL All-in-One, a battery-driven lifter/support system for safer walking practice with HAL Lower Limb; and TANO, a camera-based motion-sensing activity system with recreational, body-movement, vocal, brain-exercise, and HAL-compatible training content. CYBERDYNE labels the peripherals page as non-medical, so these should be described as related training peripherals rather than additional HAL Lower Limb models.

CYBERDYNE is one of the first exoskeleton companies (see full company profile)

Exoskeleton Report does not endorse one exoskeleton product over another. The exoskeleton catalog is purely for educational purposes.  The catalog is meant to provide an easily accessible bird’s-eye view of the exoskeleton industry and a quick way to sort exoskeletons by type and purpose.  All prices are approximate and intended to provide a general sense of the devices’ cost.