INOMER, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Fujita Health University Sign Joint Research Agreement to Realize "Next-Generation Walking Rehabilitation" by Fusing "Cutting-Edge Motion Control Technology" with "On-Site Clinical Knowledge of Physical Therapists"

INOMER Inc. (Nara City, Nara Prefecture; Representative Director & CEO: Norifumi Katsura), which aims to realize next-generation rehabilitation through robotic "power and skill assistance," has signed a joint research agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation and Fujita Health University. The agreement is for the realization of a "next-generation walking rehabilitation system" that reflects the on-site experience of physical therapists as technology into a state-of-the-art motion control system.

This joint research will be based on the collaboration between Toyota Motor Corporation's "Welwalk," which has a proven track record in the field of walking function recovery, and INOMER's "inoGear HE-1." "Welwalk" is a walking training system equipped with a fall prevention harness and robotic leg knee joint assist function, supporting the functional recovery of patients with walking difficulties due to stroke or other conditions. "inoGear HE-1," on the other hand, is a walking rehabilitation support robot that reproduces the manual techniques cultivated by physical therapists on-site. By combining Toyota's advanced motion control and safety technology, developed through automobile manufacturing, with INOMER's robotic technology that reads and reproduces the extensive experience cultivated by physical therapists over many years, the project fuses "technology and clinical knowledge." The aim is to realize a groundbreaking next-generation walking rehabilitation system that allows even severely affected patients to practice stable walking from an early stage.

Toyota Motor Corporation will provide its "Welwalk" technology and share development knowledge. Fujita Health University will be responsible for clinical research design, case evaluation, verification of medical validity, and evidence building. INOMER Inc. will provide "inoGear HE-1" and support data analysis.

INOMER will continue to innovate rehabilitation and work towards establishing new standards with Japanese-born robotics technology that is based on the essence and reality of human movement.

■ inoGear HE-1

inoGear HE-1 is a walking rehabilitation support robot that transforms the highly individualized walking assistance, which traditionally relied on the physical therapist's senses, into a system that can be reproduced through settings and operations. In the field of walking rehabilitation, "handling" – where physical therapists manually manipulate the patient's hip joint and pelvis – is indispensable for walking support. However, this technique has been challenging to reproduce and pass on due to its reliance on experience and intuition. inoGear HE-1 is a new concept rehabilitation wearable robot that focuses on "hip extension," which has traditionally been difficult to approach. Through motors and wires, it reproduces the manual techniques of skilled physical therapists. It provides not only "power assistance" offered by conventional assist suits but also "skill assistance" that guides patients to a correct walking posture.

■ Welwalk

"Welwalk" is a rehabilitation support system developed jointly by Toyota Motor Corporation and Fujita Health University, based on Toyota's vision of "freedom of mobility for all and the joy of being able to do things for oneself." It supports the functional recovery of patients with walking difficulties due to stroke or other conditions. With safety ensured by a fall prevention harness, robotic legs assist in bending and extending the knee of the paralyzed leg. It is equipped with various support functions based on motor learning theory, such as assist adjustment according to the patient's condition, real-time visual and auditory feedback, and game functions to maintain motivation.

https://welwalk.jp (Good Life Design Inc. official website)

■ Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture), founded in 1937, is one of the world's leading mobility companies. Beyond the development, manufacturing, and sales of automobiles, it advocates for a transformation into a "mobility company," promoting technological development that supports human mobility and life in diverse areas such as robotics, autonomous driving, personal mobility, and support technologies in the medical and nursing care fields. Particularly in the rehabilitation field, it is working on the social implementation of technologies that support human independence and social participation, such as developing walking training support robots through joint research with medical institutions.

■ Fujita Health University

Fujita Health University (Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture) is one of Japan's largest rehabilitation medical and research centers. It has established a seamless medical model that consistently supports patients from acute to recovery and daily life stages. Under the mission of "creating the best possible rehabilitation medicine and care," it is engaged in advanced research and clinical practice, including the development of the 365-day recovery phase rehabilitation model "FIT (Full-time Integrated Treatment) Program," which has spread nationwide, and the joint development of the walking training support robot "Welwalk" with Toyota Motor Corporation.

*FIT Program (Full-time Integrated Treatment)