Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota has announced the launch of Welwalk WW-2000, a robot designed to provide rehabilitation support to individuals with lower limb paralysis as a result of stroke and other causes.
Orders for the new model commenced in November 2019 and are planned to be delivered in February 2020. The Welwalk WW-2000 upgrades various features of the previous model (Welwalk WW-1000), namely the rehabilitation support functions based on motor learning theory and the ease of use in clinical settings.
Specifically, it adds functions that display assistance settings in real time to improve abnormal gait as well as a game function that helps maintain motivation so patients continue their rehabilitation efforts.
According to Toyota, the adoption of these new functions reduces burdens on therapists compared to the previous model while providing more efficient walking training to patients.
The Welwalk WW-1000 was provided on a rental basis to medical institution. However, in light of requests from healthcare institutions and market assessments, Welwalk WW-2000 will be made available for purchase with the aim of improving overall quality of service.
In addition, production will be implemented at Toyota’s Motomachi Plant, with a sales target of 50 units sold to medical institutions annually.
Toyota has been developing rehabilitation assist robots in collaboration with Fujita Health University in Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture since the end of 2007, with the robots used in pilot testing in healthcare settings and clinical research at medical institutions starting in 2011.
In 2017, rental of Welwalk WW-1000, which was the first Toyota product to receive approval as a medical device, commenced. To date, it has been used at approximately 80 medical institutions in Japan.
