Our take
Cyberdyne is the most established name in neurological rehab exoskeletons. Its Medical HAL Lower Limb Type is cleared in the EU, the United States, and markets across Asia and the Middle East, and it is controlled by the wearer's own bioelectric signals rather than by buttons or preset gait patterns.4,2
The company is small but well funded: revenue was 3.85 billion yen in the year to March 2026, operating losses narrowed to 601 million yen, and equity of 39.6 billion yen covers 80.7% of assets. The weak spots are price transparency, which is quote only, and a business that still leans on Japan and Germany.5,6
Scores by criterion
Each criterion is defined on our methodology page.
Who uses Cyberdyne and what it's for
Rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient clinics, and Cyberdyne's own treatment centers use Medical HAL to treat gait problems from spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, and progressive neuromuscular diseases. Indications vary by country.4
Cyberdyne also rents non-medical HAL units for training at its Robocare centers and lumbar-support HAL units for caregivers and workers who lift.1,6
History
Cyberdyne was founded on June 24, 2004, as a University of Tsukuba venture by Yoshiyuki Sankai, who is still president and CEO. It listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2014.3,2
The company says its medical technology now has approvals or certifications in more than 20 countries. In June 2026 Malaysia's social security agency PERKESO opened a national neuro-robotics center in Ipoh with 65 HAL units, one of the largest single-site installs.2,1
Medical HAL Lower Limb Type
Non-invasive sensors on the skin pick up the faint bioelectric signals that reflect a patient's intent to move, and the motors assist the matching hip and knee motion. Cyberdyne says this loop between intent and movement is meant to induce neuroplasticity.4
The standard model fits wearers from 150 to 190 cm, and a small model for 100 to 150 cm was approved in Japan in January 2025 and cleared by the FDA in May 2024. Both run about one hour per battery.4,5
A next-generation Medical HAL Lower Limb Type, the ML08, went on rental sale from May 2026.6
Pricing
Cyberdyne does not publish prices. Most revenue comes from rentals and treatment services rather than one-off sales: product rentals brought in 2.0 billion yen and treatment services 1.6 billion yen in the year to March 2026.6
The one public US figure is old. When Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida, opened the first US HAL program, IEEE Spectrum reported a price of $24,000 for 60 sessions, not covered by insurance.7
Competitive landscape
| Company | Product | Pricing model | Deployment footprint | Where Cyberdyne wins or loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberdyne | Medical HAL wearable robot driven by the wearer's bioelectric signals4 | Not published; mainly rentals and treatment services6 | Approvals or certifications in more than 20 countries2 | Control by the wearer's own signals; prices not published |
| Wandercraft | Atalante X and Eve self-balancing exoskeletons18 | Not published18 | Devices in more than 700 rehabilitation centers after buying Ekso19 | Wandercraft wins on hands-free, self-balancing walking. Cyberdyne wins on control by the wearer's own signals. |
| Lifeward | ReWalk personal exoskeleton and AlterG anti-gravity systems12 | Medicare fee of $91,032 for a personal exoskeleton11 | Individual users through Medicare and insurers; AlterG in more than 4,000 facilities11 | Lifeward wins on a personal device with a Medicare fee. Cyberdyne wins on clinic treatment across more indications. |
| Hocoma (Lokomat) | Lokomat robotic gait trainer13 | Not published13 | Rehabilitation hospitals and clinics; more than 550 published studies13 | Hocoma wins on a stationary gait trainer with a deep study base. Cyberdyne wins on a wearable robot the patient controls. |
| Myomo | MyoPro powered arm and hand brace20 | Medicare fee schedule rates of $33,481 and $65,87216 | Patients reached through clinician referrals and orthotics and prosthetics channels17,21 | Myomo wins for arm and hand weakness. Cyberdyne wins for patients relearning to walk. |
Limits
Prices are quote only, and the only public US price is a clinic program fee from years ago.7
HAL is used in medical facilities by trained staff, so it is not a device patients buy and take home.4
The business is concentrated: Japan made up 974 million yen of product rental revenue and markets outside Japan 1,028 million yen, with Germany the main growth market abroad. Operating losses continued, at 601 million yen.6,5
What customers say
Where it helps
Clinics value HAL because it responds to the patient's own intent signals, which Cyberdyne says closes the loop between brain and movement in a way a preset gait trainer cannot.4
In Japan, public health insurance covers Medical HAL treatment for several progressive neuromuscular diseases, which supports steady rental demand there.5
Where it falls short
Buyers who want a personal device for daily use at home, or a fully public price, will find a personal exoskeleton such as Lifeward's ReWalk or Wandercraft's Eve a closer fit.
Leadership
Yoshiyuki Sankai
Representative director, president and CEODr. Sankai founded Cyberdyne in 2004 and is a professor at the University of Tsukuba, where he developed HAL.3,2
Sources
- Cyberdyne, Homepage, accessed November 3, 2026
- Cyberdyne, About Cyberdyne, accessed November 3, 2026
- Cyberdyne, Corporate information, accessed November 3, 2026
- Cyberdyne, Medical HAL Lower Limb Type, accessed November 3, 2026
- Cyberdyne, Consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, May 14, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
- Cyberdyne, Financial results briefing for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, May 14, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
- IEEE Spectrum, Cyberdyne's HAL exoskeleton helps patients walk again in first treatments at US facility, accessed November 3, 2026
- Wandercraft, Atalante X, accessed November 1, 2026
- Wandercraft, Eve personal exoskeleton, accessed November 1, 2026
- Wandercraft, Wandercraft acquires Ekso Bionics, accessed November 1, 2026
- Lifeward, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, accessed November 1, 2026
- Lifeward, Fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results, accessed November 1, 2026
- Hocoma, Lokomat, accessed November 2, 2026
- DIH, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- Myomo, About Myomo, accessed November 1, 2026
- Myomo, CMS posts final Medicare DMEPOS fee schedule rate for the MyoPro, March 1, 2024, accessed October 31, 2026
- Myomo, Second quarter 2026 results, SEC exhibit 99.1, August 5, 2026, accessed October 31, 2026
- Wandercraft, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- IZON, Wandercraft acquires Ekso Bionics to form major exoskeleton player, accessed November 2, 2026
- Myomo, Homepage, accessed October 31, 2026
- Myomo, Fourth quarter and full year 2025 results, accessed October 31, 2026
