Gizmos & Gadgets: Exoskeleton Invented To Ease Walking For An Ageing Population

WIRobotics is a Korean-based company that is developing robotic technology to replace lost limbs and wearables to improve the quality of life for people with ambulatory disabilities. Its latest walking assistance wearable is called WIM. WIM stands for We Innovate Mobility.

The product was first introduced in March 2023 in South Korea with its initial launch selling 500 units. It was revealed for the first time to a global audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2024 where it earned a CES Innovation Award in two categories: Robotics and Accessibility and Ageing Tech. This year at CES 2025 which is running in Las Vegas right now, WIM is being featured again as the company launches it into the growing “Age-Tech” European and North American markets which is currently valued at between US $1 and 2 trillion and growing 21% per year.

How well does WIM work as an exoskeleton? In usability testing, wearers experienced a 78% improvement in range of motion, walking speed, endurance and lower-body strength. It would have been mighty handy for me when four years ago I was rehabbing from knee replacement surgery.

Age-Tech is a fast-growing market in the Global North as countries see their populations ageing. The number of people over age 60 will comprise 22% of the global population by 2050.

For the 60+ crowd, falls are a big concern because as we age we lose muscle and bone mass, range of motion, flexibility, and balance. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of the United States tracks falls, both nonfatal and fatal for Americans 65 and over. It reports that unintentional falls are the leading cause of injury and death in this age group. A recent behavioural risk factor assessment report shows 14 million older adults experienced falls in 2020 with more women falling than men.

WIM will tap into that Age-Tech market segment but it isn’t limited to it. When illnesses, accidents or musculoskeletal disabilities confine a person to bed or limit mobility, walking becomes an ordeal. I remember when I broke both legs at age 20 getting upright and relearning to walk was a challenge. My rehab required rebuilding my lower body strength and walking was important in my recovery.

Mobility impairment challenges, therefore, is a market for WIM with the company providing 21st-century technology features that should prove valuable and appealing to a younger market. These features include artificial intelligence (AI) and data to the cloud for real-time performance analysis to produce ongoing Gait Age assessments.

WIM’s computing and AI features include:

• Speed, agility, and balance tracking.
• Three operating modes:
  • Assist for easier walking,
  • Resist for muscle strengthening,
  • and Slow Gait for rehabilitation.
• Personalized training suggestions and exercises.

The exoskeleton is pretty simple compared to others I have written about here on the 21st Century Tech Blog. Its battery and computing technology are worn in a waist pack that weighs 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds). Two lightweight extensions attach to each leg just above the knee. The waist pack belt is fully adjustable. The leg attachments use flexible velcro straps. It is easy to wear, remove and store.

Retail pricing for the U.S. at the time of this posting was not available. It probably will come in somewhere between $2,300 and $2,500 U.S. per unit. When it was first launched in Korea, WIM sold for 3.2 million won (approximately US $2,330).