Hurotics is a startup that develops wearable robots for rehabilitation therapy. Chief Executive Lee Ki-uk founded the company in 2022. Lee also serves as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Chung-Ang University. Lee said, "Since I was young, I dreamed of developing technology that helps people," and added, "I researched robots at university, and based on that, I developed wearable robots that assist rehabilitation therapy for older adults and patients who have difficulty walking."
After receiving a bachelor's and a doctorate from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University, Lee researched human-centered robotics at Harvard University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Biologically Inspired Engineering Laboratory at the Wyss Institute. In particular, in 2019, developing wearable robot technology that can reduce energy when ordinary people walk and run and help older adults walk longer became the basis for founding the company. Hurotics has raised 8.8 billion won in investment to date.
Hurotics launched the H-Medi rehabilitation therapy wearable robot on Sept. 17. It is a robot that provides gait rehabilitation therapy for patients not only in hospitals but also in welfare centers and nursing homes. It received Class II medical device certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
Lee said, "Patients who walk hunched over can practice walking while wearing the wearable robot and undergo rehabilitation therapy," and added, "Ultimately, the patient's muscles and nervous system improve, correcting their gait."
In tests conducted last year on older adults with sarcopenia, the therapeutic effect of the rehabilitation wearable robot was demonstrated. Lee said, "We confirmed that the robot rehabilitation therapy group showed more improvement in gait posture than the general therapy group."
Lee cited robotics, on-device AI, and biomechanical design as Hurotics' core technologies. Lee said, "Biomechanically designed H-Medi recognizes and analyzes the wearer's movements, including gait, through AI," and added, "As a result, the wires connected to the wearer's legs contract and relax, assisting with the force needed to walk in the most efficient and stable way."
After supplying H-Medi to hospitals and other facilities, Hurotics plans to build a remote rehabilitation system so it can be used at home by analyzing data measured by the robot. After H-Medi gains a foothold in the market, the company will also release products for daily living.
Lee said, "We will introduce a lighter and simpler wearable robot for daily living than H-Medi," and added, "We are preparing for an era when older adults do not rely on canes but wear wearable robots to walk."
Lee also plans to enter overseas markets such as the United States in the future. The company currently has a U.S. corporation in Chicago. Lee said, "We are preparing to conduct clinical trials with a world-class rehabilitation hospital in Chicago," and added, "After obtaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we will enter overseas markets, including the United States, and leap forward as a global healthcare corporations."