A Japanese robotics company is set to supply several of its wearable robotic suits to Ukrainian soldiers severely injured in the Russia-Ukraine war to help them regain muscular function.
Cyberdyne Inc. said it has won a 360 million yen ($2.4 million) order to deliver 46 units of its Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robotic suit series as part of a Japanese government-backed agency’s project to help Ukraine reconstruct after the Russian invasion, as reported by Japanese newspaper The Mainichi.
“This initiative is part of the Ukraine Emergency Recovery and Reconstruction Project, conducted by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), a governmental organization of Japan,” Cyberdyne told Newsweek on Tuesday.
“HAL has demonstrated proven effectiveness in the treatment of spinal cord injuries, strokes, and neuromuscular diseases.
“We aspire to support Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction efforts by utilizing HAL in the treatment of individuals—be they civilians or soldiers—who have sustained disabilities as a result of the war or other medical conditions.”
Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian government via email on Monday for comment.
The company, based in Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo, will deliver the suits to Ogawa Seiki Co., an electrical equipment manufacturer that won the contract to provide Ukraine with heavy machinery, rehabilitation tools, and medical equipment under the sponsorship of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Cyberdyne plans to ship the HAL suits to a medical facility in Kyiv by March next year. They will be used to treat individuals with spinal cord injuries and other muscular conditions.
According to Cyberdyne, HAL is “the world’s first * technology that improves, supports, enhances and regenerates the wearer’s physical functions according to the wearer’s intentions. Because of this feature, it is also called ‘Wearable Cyborg™.'”
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The HAL suits utilize advanced exoskeleton designs powered by artificial intelligence and assist in mobility and muscle strengthening by interpreting neurological signals and amplifying movement. This allows users to relearn motor functions while minimizing strain on their bodies.
Explaining how the suit works, the company said: “When a person tries to move, the brain sends a signal to the muscle to command the movement. At that time, a very faint signal that reflects the wearer’s intention to move appears on the skin’s surface.
“Using its sensors attached to the skin’s surface, HAL detects these so-called “bio-electrical signals” to perform the desired movements with the wearer’s voluntary commands.”
Cyberdyne explained that the suit, equipped with sensors placed on the skin, allows wearers to perform tasks such as walking or lifting heavy objects, even with severely weakened muscles.
Japan’s assistance to Ukraine is part of a humanitarian initiative supported by the Japanese government. In 2023, Japan issued a government memo stating, “Japan Stands With Ukraine,” and announced that the country had supplied Ukraine with machinery and other support along with proposed sanctions against Russia.
The proposed deployment of the HAL suits to Ukraine marks an expansion of Cyberdyne’s HAL technology, which has already been used in over 20 countries to aid in muscular recovery.
This article was updated with comment from Cyberdyne on 03/12 at 10:24 ET
