VA orders 20 ReWalk exoskeletons

Courtesy of ReWalk Cory Cook, a New Hampshire resident who suffered a spinal cord injury, trains on the ReWalk wearable exoskeleton at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

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By Sam Bonacci

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) purchased an additional 20 ReWalk exoskeleton units from the Marlborough company to support initiation of their national multi-center clinical trial.

The purchase of 20 Personal 6.0 exoskeleton systems, which allow people with certain spinal injuries to walk upright rather than sit in a wheel chair, will be in addition to six units already provided by ReWalk. The 160-person, four-year long, multi-center study is being undertaken to evaluate the impact of exoskeleton use in a home or daily life setting. The study will start in October and is the first of its kind to examine the impact of exoskeletons in daily life.

"The purchase of 20 additional systems is a critical acquisition for this groundbreaking clinical trial," ReWalk CEO Larry Jasinski said in a statement. "The initiation of the study across these six VA Medical Centers will provide many veterans access to training with exoskeleton technology. We continue to work closely with the VA and offer our support as the trial gets underway."

The news comes as ReWalk reported first quarter revenue of $2.1 million, up from $635,000 in the first quarter of 2015. The number of units placed rose to 32 in that quarter compared to 13 in the same quarter of 2015. Net loss for the growing company however, grew year-over-year to $6.9 million from $5.7 million in the first quarter.

In addition, recent study on the benefits of the ReWalk Robotics exoskeleton found significant improvements in the quality of life for an individual with spinal cord injury using the system.