Hwaseong-si Dongtan Ardim Welfare Center Introduces Wearable Gait Rehabilitation Robot "Angellex M" Service

[Photo by Angellex M small wearer]

Hwaseong-si Dongtan Ardim Welfare Center (Director Kim Hyun-gyun) announced that it has introduced Angel Robotics' wearable gait rehabilitation robot "Angellex M," drawing attention.

Hwaseong-si Dongtan Ardim Welfare Center is a comprehensive welfare center for the disabled that supports professional rehabilitation services centered on the local community. It is renowned as the first in the nation to introduce wearable robots and for having comprehensive and professional programs not only for persons with disabilities but also for their families. The newly introduced Angellex M at Hwaseong-si Dongtan Ardim Welfare Center is currently in use at Sinchon Severance Rehabilitation Hospital, and it is scheduled to be introduced later this year at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Gwangju Veterans Hospital, and others.

In 2019, Hwaseong-si Dongtan Ardim Welfare Center was the first nationwide disability welfare center to introduce the lower limb rehabilitation robot Walkbot_G(K), and it operates a robot rehabilitation room utilizing various artificial intelligence robots. Following the treadmill-fixed robot and wearable robots for completely paralyzed patients that it previously possessed, the center has introduced the "Angellex M," a gait rehabilitation robot for patients with incomplete lower limb paralysis, thereby establishing rehabilitation infrastructure at the level of advanced general hospital robot rehabilitation treatment rooms. This was supported by sponsorships from local community companies and organizations, as well as income from the welfare center's disability activity support service.

The newly introduced Angellex M is designed for patients with incomplete lower limb paralysis who retain some leg muscle strength. It operates by assisting the patient with the necessary force during walking on actual ground as needed, enabling effective training as a gait rehabilitation robot. Considering the welfare center's user demographics, which include many adult persons with disabilities as well as disabled children and adolescents, it was introduced in a small size (height 120?145 cm, weight 40 kg).

Director Kim Hyun-gyun stated, "We are pleased to contribute to improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities in Hwaseong-si by introducing various robots and smart devices in step with the changing times. We will continue to strive to expand services and devices centered on the needs of persons with disabilities."

The "Angellex M" will be utilized in the robot rehabilitation room at Hwaseong-si Dongtan Ardim Welfare Center and in wearable robot gait training conducted twice a week from Monday to Friday in the local community, providing cutting-edge welfare services for Hwaseong citizens.