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Ekso Bionics develop and manufacture powered exoskeleton bionic devices that can be strapped on as wearable robots to enhance the strength, mobility, and endurance of soldiers and paraplegics. These assistive robots have a variety of applications in the medical, military, industrial, and consumer markets. It enables individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness, including those who are paralyzed, to stand up and walk. The company's first commercially available product is called Ekso. Ekso Bionics is the original developer of HULC, now under military development by Lockheed Martin, and the current developers of Ekso (formerly eLEGS), which allows wheelchair users to stand and walk. Ekso was selected as ''WIRED'' magazine's number two "Most Significant Gadget of 2010",〔(The 10 Most Significant Gadgets of 2010 ) ''WIRED'', 29 December 2010.〕 and was included in ''Time'' magazine's "50 Best Innovations of 2010".〔(The 50 Best Inventions of 2010 ) ''Time'', 11 November 2010.〕 Ekso Bionics was also featured in Inc. Magazine as one of "5 Big Ideas for the Next 15 Years".〔(Meet the Makers of the Wearable Robot ) ''Inc. Magazine'', 30 October 2012.〕 ==Background== The company was founded in 2005 under the name of Berkeley ExoWorks by Homayoon Kazerooni, Russ Angold and Nathan Harding, all members of the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California.〔(Timeline ) Ekso Bionics main web site. Retrieved 30 January 2012.〕 Berkeley ExoWorks introduced ''ExoHiker'' and ''ExoClimber'', both with a weight carrying capacity of 150 pounds.〔 In 2007 the company changed its name from Berkeley ExoWorks to Berkeley Bionics. Berkeley Bionics developed an untethered, hydraulically powered exoskeleton they called the Human Universal Load Carrier ''(HULC)'', and which could carry heavier loads than the previous models. The ''HULC'' system was announced publicly at the AUSA Winter Symposium on February 26, 2009 when an exclusive licensing agreement was reached with Lockheed Martin. Berkeley Bionics also debuted ''eLEGS'', an intelligent, bionic exoskeleton that allows wheelchair users to stand and walk. In 2011 Berkeley Bionics changed its name again, to its current name Ekso Bionics. It also changed the name of ''eLegs'' to ''Ekso''. In 2012, Ekso suits received approval from the FDA for hospital use in the US, and received a CE marking from the E.U.〔http://www.technobuffalo.com/2012/01/15/ekso-bionic-exoskeletons-help-spinal-chord-injured-walk-again/〕〔http://www.parker.com/literature/Exoskeleton/Pages%20from%20PInnacle-Fall-2012-FINAL.pdf〕 Ekso is supplying bionic suits for 22 rehab centers in the US, 8 in Europe and 1 in South Africa.〔〔http://www.techhubz.org/content/index.php/component/fabrik/details/20/451〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ekso Bionics」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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