AssistMotion Co., Ltd.: The 2.9kg Wearable Robot "curara®" Shaping a Future Where Everyone Can Walk Independently in a Super-Aging Society

A Robot You Wear Like Clothing, Supporting the Joy of Walking Independently

Hello, everyone. My name is Minoru Hashimoto, CEO of AssistMotion Co., Ltd. Thank you for having me today.

Under our vision, "Enabling everyone to walk on their own feet using robots worn like clothing," we operate as a spin-off venture from Shinshu University\'s Faculty of Textile Science and Technology.

We have conducted robot R&D at Shinshu University for many years. Our core competitive advantage lies in our system design technology for lightweight, soft robots that can be worn like clothing, rather than the heavy, hard robots of the past. We founded the company in 2017 to socially implement this research, and we currently manufacture and sell our walking assist robot, "curara®," as our main business.

In today\'s super-aging society, out of more than 36 million elderly individuals, approximately 6 million require long-term care or support. The resulting surge in nursing care insurance expenses is a critical social issue heavily straining the national budget. To solve this, it is crucial to increase the number of elderly people who can live independently on their own feet using technology.

While products like electric wheelchairs support mobility, they are intended for individuals who can no longer walk. We want elderly people who still have the ability to walk to maximize their residual capacity and live independently longer, rather than relying on wheelchairs. We do not compete with electric wheelchairs; instead, we aim to provide optimal robot-assisted lifestyle support according to the user\'s current walking level and independence.

Weighing Only 2.9kg Including Batteries: Patented "Cooperative Control Method" for Natural Assistance

Our flagship product, "curara," is a walking assist robot that supports joint movements using thin motors placed on the hips and knees.

We began development in 2008, going through numerous prototypes and improvements aiming for miniaturization, lightweight design, and ease of use, leading to commercialization in 2021. The main feature is its weight of just 2.9kg (2.3kg for some training models) including batteries. While conventional walking assist robots commonly weigh over 10kg, curara can be worn easily like clothing.

To prevent users from feeling restricted or experiencing lag while walking, we established a unique control technology called the "Cooperative Control Method." This patented system uses sensors to detect the user\'s walking intention, aligning the motors at the perfect moment to provide seamless assistance.

Historically, curara has been adopted in rehabilitation rooms at hospitals and nursing homes to support patients recovering from strokes or musculoskeletal disorders, helping them regain a natural walking form. It is currently deployed in facilities nationwide, priced at 1,749,000 yen (including tax). Beyond adult models, we are developing a pediatric version of curara due to strong demand from families and medical institutions. It has been used to support the walking practice of a popular child YouTuber, Riona-chan, generating a massive response with over 19 million views on YouTube. We plan to start a crowdfunding campaign in March to commercialize this pediatric curara.

Developing a 1.9kg "Lifestyle Support Model" by Removing Knee Joints and Future Outlook

Our next major milestone is commercializing a "lifestyle and independence support" robot that elderly users can wear daily at home and outdoors, moving beyond hospital rehabilitation.

To further improve ease of use in daily life, we are developing a model specialized exclusively in hip joint assistance. By completely removing the knee joint parts, the total weight is reduced to just 1.9kg. This makes it easier to put on and take off, preventing fatigue even during long walks. We also aim to drastically reduce costs from the current rehabilitation model (approx. 1.75 million yen) to offer it at an affordable price comparable to electric wheelchairs, running numerous verification tests at nursing facilities.

We are currently looking for corporate partners to mass-produce and commercialize this lifestyle support robot, alongside driving the pediatric crowdfunding campaign. We are also actively seeking funding (investments from VCs, CVCs, and angel investors) to scale our Web3-enabled social implementation and global product deployment. Let\'s wear robots like clothing and build a society where everyone can walk on their own feet until the end of their lives. Thank you very much.

Q&A and Feedback

Mr. Nakazawa (Commentator): Thank you very much. Robotics is a highly watched sector today. It looks extremely lightweight and easy to handle, but could you tell us the cost structure or target price when expanding this to the lifestyle support model for the elderly?

Mr. Hashimoto: Thank you for your question. The hospital/facility model of "curara" for walking practice is priced at 1,749,000 yen (tax included). We plan to expand this so general elderly users can easily use it at home. To achieve this, we are simplifying the structure by removing the knee motors and frames to only support hip joints, driving down costs to offer it in the range of several hundred thousand yen, comparable to electric wheelchairs.

Mr. Nakazawa: I see. Removing parts lowers both weight and cost, directly appealing to the electric wheelchair market. In hospitals already using curara, is there clinical data showing a reduction in the time required for patients to walk independently?

Mr. Hashimoto: At this stage, we have not clinically proven that this robot alone shortens the overall rehabilitation period. However, when patients wear it to walk, the robot replicates a walking pattern close to that of a healthy person. This serves as a powerful support tool, helping patients learn the correct form with their bodies during training. Generally, a hospital rehabilitation room purchases one unit and uses it sequentially for multiple patients.

Mr. Nakazawa: Thank you. Achieving a weight of 2.9kg, and even 1.9kg for the hip-only version, is remarkable. We support your future progress, including the pediatric crowdfunding campaign.

Mr. Hashimoto: Thank you. We will continue to socially implement our university research findings to support a society where everyone can walk independently.