Updated June 2026. Originally published November 2022.
Exoskeletons, bionics and prosthetics can help you live longer and become more powerful. But are you willing to become a cyborg — a human enhanced by mechanical elements? Does the thought terrify or intrigue you? How would others perceive you? Would that be worth abilities like superhuman strength and running faster without becoming tired?
In Live to 100 or Live to 1000, we noted that to live much, much longer, human bodies will eventually need mechanical improvements. Hip and knee replacements have already become standard, reliable surgical procedures, with over 2.4 million completed annually in America. Going further, leading-edge companies are now producing exoskeletons, bionics and prosthetics that blur the line between medical device and genuine enhancement. Our article Connect with Your Brain covers the leading neural implant companies; full integration between all cyborg components will eventually provide the best experience.
What capabilities do these devices offer today? What improvements arrive in the next few years?
What’s new since our last update
Three developments stand out from the past three years and warrant specific attention before we get to the full company rundown.
ReWalk went through a major corporate transition. ReWalk Robotics rebranded as Lifeward Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFWD) after acquiring AlterG, the anti-gravity treadmill company, expanding its rehabilitation portfolio significantly. More importantly, in March 2025 the FDA cleared the ReWalk 7 Personal Exoskeleton — the seventh generation of the device — for home and community use by individuals with spinal cord injury at levels T7 to L5. The ReWalk 7 adds crutch control, wrist control, a companion app, customizable walking speeds, and improved battery performance over prior generations. Crucially, 2024 also saw the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issue a national reimbursement policy covering eligible Medicare beneficiaries — a development that meaningfully expands access beyond the people who can pay out of pocket.
Cyberdyne expanded HAL’s indications and patient population. The FDA cleared an expanded indication list for Cyberdyne’s Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) in May 2024, adding cerebral palsy to a list that already included spinal cord injury and stroke. More significantly, a new small-size HAL version — designed for patients between 100 and 150 cm tall — received FDA clearance in May 2024, Japanese approval in January 2025, and EU CE marking in December 2024, opening pediatric rehabilitation to a technology that previously required adult body frames. This represents the most meaningful expansion of HAL’s reach since its original FDA clearance.
German Bionic launched a generational upgrade. At CES 2025, German Bionic unveiled the Apogee ULTRA — its most powerful exoskeleton to date — replacing the Cray-X mentioned in our original article. The Apogee ULTRA delivers 80 lbs (36 kg) of dynamic lifting support per movement, makes a 70-pound lift feel like 9 to 11 pounds to the lower back, and includes active walking support that makes a 10-mile walk feel more like 8 miles. AI-driven machine learning adapts to each user’s physiology and lifting style in real time. Companies using the system report a 31% reduction in sick leave. The Apogee+ ($9,900) remains available for the healthcare sector; the ULTRA’s price has not yet been officially published.
Exoskeleton, bionic and prosthetic companies
Arm Dynamics (USA)
Myoelectric prosthetics for upper-limb amputees and those with congenital limb deficiencies. One of the leading clinical providers of advanced upper-limb prosthetic care in the US, with centers across the country.
Cyberdyne (Japan) — Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL)
The closest solution today to a neurally-connected exoskeleton: HAL detects bioelectric signals on the skin surface to determine the wearer’s intended actions, then amplifies those intentions through powered joint assistance. The result feels more natural than systems that follow a programmed gait pattern, because the user’s own nervous system drives every movement.
Recent developments since our original article:
- FDA clearance expanded (May 2024): New indications now include post-stroke paresis, cerebral palsy, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and other neuromuscular diseases, in addition to the original spinal cord injury indications
- Pediatric HAL cleared globally: The small-size HAL (for patients 100–150 cm tall) received FDA clearance in May 2024, Japanese approval in January 2025, and EU CE marking in December 2024, enabling pediatric rehabilitation that was previously impossible due to size constraints
- Still have not created Skynet
Available ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, and spinal devices.
German Bionic (Germany)
Updated from the original article. The Cray-X mentioned in our 2022 article has been superseded by German Bionic’s Apogee line, which launched at CES 2023 and has since evolved through two major generations:
- Apogee+ ($9,900): Healthcare-focused exoskeleton, specifically designed for nursing and patient care professionals, awarded CES Best of Innovation in 2024. Provides up to 66 lbs of back relief per lifting movement for tasks like patient transfers and repositioning.
- Apogee ULTRA (launched CES 2025, price TBA): The company’s most powerful device, providing 80 lbs of dynamic lifting support, active walking assistance, and AI-personalized adaptation to individual users. Deployed in logistics, manufacturing, construction, baggage handling, and healthcare.
The German Bionic IO platform and Connect app provide real-time ergonomic safety monitoring, usage data, and fleet management across deployments — making this more of a workforce health platform than a standalone device.
Laevo Exoskeletons (Netherlands)
Battery-free exoskeletons designed to protect workers against back injuries. Energy stored from bending down and picking up objects returns as assist force on the way back up — no charging required.
Lifeward Ltd. (USA/Israel/Germany) — formerly ReWalk Robotics
Major update from the original article. ReWalk Robotics rebranded as Lifeward Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFWD) following its acquisition of AlterG, and now offers a broader rehabilitation portfolio:
- ReWalk 7 Personal Exoskeleton: FDA-cleared in March 2025 (510(k) K241822) for home and community use by individuals with spinal cord injury at T7–L5. The seventh-generation device adds a companion app, crutch control unit, wrist control, improved batteries, and customizable walking speeds. Indoor/outdoor use including stairs and curbs.
- ReStore: The soft exosuit for stroke rehabilitation, commercialized from the Harvard Wyss Institute’s soft exosuit technology. FDA-cleared for rehabilitation settings.
- AlterG Anti-Gravity Systems: Acquired from AlterG, Inc. Anti-gravity treadmills used in rehabilitation settings to reduce weight-bearing during gait training.
- Medicare reimbursement (2024): CMS established a national reimbursement policy for eligible Medicare beneficiaries — the most significant access expansion in the device’s history.
Ottobock (Germany)
A global leader spanning exoskeletons, orthotics, and prosthetics across the full body:
Exoskeletons (via its SuitX line):
- Enable workers to move loads manually while maintaining high flexibility
- Reduce lower back load when lifting by approximately 60%
- Cover thumb, wrist, back, knee, and shoulder devices
- Include comfortable cooling sleeves worn under devices
- Deployed across 7 countries in physically demanding industries
Orthotics:
- Upper and lower extremity devices to heal, support, and minimize pain
- Assist with regaining mobility after injury or surgery
- Devices for upper and lower limbs — feet, knees, arms, hands
- Both light-duty daily-use and heavy-task options
- Enhanced sports competition options that exceed natural anatomy in specific performance metrics
Harvard Wyss Institute / Harvard BioDesign Lab (USA)
The original article described the Soft Exosuit as a research project; its status has evolved. The lower-extremity soft exosuit technology was licensed to ReWalk Robotics, which commercialized it as the ReStore — now part of the Lifeward portfolio above, and the only soft exosuit with FDA clearance. Research at the Harvard Biodesign Lab continues on next-generation versions, including multi-joint suits covering ankle and hip simultaneously and a back-support variant for industrial use. A January 2024 publication described a soft robotic device improving walking in an individual with Parkinson’s disease, suggesting expanding therapeutic applications beyond stroke and spinal cord injury.
Key characteristics of the current soft exosuit:
- Light, textile-based construction — no rigid structures, feels like clothing
- Reduces running effort by 5%; assists joints on torque movements
- Improves biomechanics and gait flexion
- Incorporates ultrasound calf measurements to adjust rapidly to terrain
Spring Loaded Technology (Canada)
Bionic knee braces using patented liquid spring technology — the world’s first compact bionic knee braces. Two primary products address different needs:
- Levitation (athletics/performance): Stores energy on knee bend and returns it on extension, enhancing leg muscle power, reducing fatigue, and providing shock absorption for athletes and workers performing repetitive movements. Used for meniscus and ligament injury recovery and prevention.
- Spring Loaded OA (osteoarthritis): Designed to reduce pressure throughout the entire knee — including all three compartments simultaneously, not just one side like traditional offloader braces. A 2025 study in Bioengineering confirmed that wearing a knee brace after injury improves joint biomechanics, stabilizes movement in the frontal plane, and reduces pain during running and jumping even under muscle fatigue conditions.
Both devices reduce joint load stress throughout the knee rather than redistributing it. The company has expanded its product line and clinical evidence base since the original article.
The bigger picture: longevity and exoskeletons
For Keep.Health’s core audience, the most relevant near-term application of exoskeleton technology is straightforward: protecting the musculoskeletal system from the cumulative damage that shortens healthspan. Back injuries remain the leading cause of occupational injury in the US, and knee and hip deterioration represents one of the most common reasons people lose mobility in their 50s and 60s. Industrial exoskeletons like the German Bionic Apogee and Laevo systems address the first problem. Bionic knee braces like Spring Loaded’s Levitation address the second.
For those with existing mobility impairments — from spinal cord injury, stroke, or neurological disease — the ReWalk 7’s Medicare reimbursement approval and Cyberdyne’s expanded HAL indications are meaningful developments that make these devices accessible to more people. Both strength training and proper posture remain foundational — but exoskeletons increasingly offer a meaningful complement for people who need more than lifestyle interventions alone.
The ideal endgame remains full neural integration: devices controlled directly through the wearer’s nervous system, providing natural sensation of joint movement and effort. Cyberdyne’s HAL comes closest today. Where that technology goes in the next decade — and how it intersects with the brain implant and neural interface work — will determine how transformative this category actually becomes for longevity and healthspan.
As your reward for continuing to focus on your health, check out Hugh Herr‘s inspirational 20-minute TED Talk on how bionics are bridging the gap between disability and ability. Human limitation is being replaced with human potential.
