Exoskeleton Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Exoskeleton Market Analysis

The exoskeleton market was valued at USD 354.22 million in 2021, and it is expected to reach USD 1620.04 million in 2027, registering a CAGR of 12.5% during the forecast period (2022-2027).

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented health concern, causing a huge setback. The pandemic significantly impacted the exoskeleton market worldwide. The use of exoskeletons is increasing in the management of COVID-19 patients with prolonged disability and problems in movement. For instance, as per a research article published in 2020, titled “The use of exoskeletons to help with prone positioning in the intensive care unit during COVID-19”, the preliminary results confirmed that the use of an exoskeleton for lumbar support is fully justified. The study states that using an exoskeleton to assist medical staff could be helpful and readily feasible, even in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per a research article published in 2021, titled “Biomechanical effects of using a passive back support exoskeleton during prone-positioning maneuver: A pilot study”, during the COVID-19 pandemic, intensive care unit (ICU) staff had to perform prone-positioning (PP) of a large number of intubated patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) many times a day. The study revealed that using the Laevo could help reduce the musculoskeletal load on the lower back during prone positioning maneuvers without causing any significant negative side effects or modifying the practice. The study states that two Laevos were successfully deployed in intensive care units of Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Nancy (CHRU Nancy), and they were used for six months. Thus, the demand for exoskeletons was significant during the pandemic. With the removal of lockdowns and the development of vaccines, the demand for exoskeletons as a part of rehabilitation is expected to increase. However, as per Ekso Bionics’ 2020 annual report, the demand for exoskeleton products dramatically decreased by 38.0% during the onset of the pandemic, leading to the booking of 61 units in 2020 compared to 98 units in 2019.

The major factors propelling the market’s growth are the rising prevalence of stroke, increasing adoption of the exoskeleton, and the growing geriatric population at a global level. With the increasing number of disabled and aged people, there has been an increase in the demand for robotic rehabilitation worldwide. In recent years, the demand for physical therapy services has grown, partly because of the aging population. The role of technology in healthcare has become evident with the enhanced rate of survival from medical disorders, such as stroke. Therefore, robotic rehabilitation and assistive technologies promise to ease the stress on the physiotherapy staff and control expenses while refining patients’ quality of life.

There has been a growing demand for these robotic rehabilitation devices that are showing an upward trajectory as the prevalence of disability worldwide is increasing. For example, the United Nations estimates that the global geriatric population will reach 2.1 billion by 2050. The rates of disability are increasing due to the aging population and an increase in chronic health conditions. Therefore, the applications of robotic rehabilitation are growing fast with the market for these systems. One example is a robot developed at McGill University that helps patients who use wheelchairs to walk. It supports gait training and neuro-rehabilitation. Other researchers and companies are also developing products using robotics and 3D printing to help patients with movement disorders from an impaired spinal cord or due to stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Numerous hospitals started using robotics within their rehabilitation centers. Product launches and innovations through key market players are another reason for the market's growth. For instance, in February 2020, Ekso Bionics announced a collaboration with Kindred Healthcare to pilot EksoNR in long-term acute care hospitals. Similarly, in January 2020, Bionik laboratories announced the regulatory approval and the first sale of its InMotion arm robotic technology by its exclusive distributor in South Korea. Hence, all these factors are expected to drive the overall market.

Exoskeleton Industry Segments

As per the scope of the report, exoskeletons are the external skeleton that supports and protects the body in contrast to the internal skeleton (endoskeleton). These are also wearable machines that enable limb movement with amplified strength and enhance the performance of human tasks. The exoskeleton helps people by providing support in walking, standing, carrying heavy objects, and contributing to healthcare. Using the exoskeleton technology helps reduce the effects of some of the disabilities like paralysis, general fatigue, and muscular dystrophy.

The exoskeleton market is segmented by treatment type (rehabilitation and augmentation), body part type (upper body and lower body), product type (stationary and mobile), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East and Africa, and South America). The market report also covers the estimated market sizes and trends for 17 countries across major regions globally. The report offers the value in USD million for the above segments.

Report scope can be customized per your requirements. Click here.

Exoskeleton Market Trends

This section covers the major market trends shaping the Exoskeleton Market according to our research experts:

The Mobile Segment is Expected to Hold the Largest Share by Product Type Over the Forecast Period

The user wears rehabilitation medical exoskeletons temporarily to improve performance. Therefore, the user no longer uses this exoskeleton following a supervised training regimen. A rehabilitation exoskeleton must be adjustable and must execute the exact motion many times and log the information for each patient. It is used by a patient in 1- to 2-hour sessions, mainly those with lower limb movement disorders. After using the rehabilitation devices, the patient starts to walk properly. The major factors fueling the segment's growth are the increasing prevalence of disability and the implementation of strategic initiatives by the market players.

As per an article titled “A Review on Lower Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeleton Robots”, published in 2019, China had the highest stroke rate globally. There were nearly 15 million disabled people with lower limb motor dysfunctions, such as cerebral palsy, hemiplegia, and paraplegia, and nearly 40 million disabled older adults had lost the ability to walk due to aging. Therefore, lower limb rehabilitation robots are of great significance in China. The use of rehabilitation robots can reduce the burden on therapists, realize data detection during training, and aid the quantitative evaluation of recovery in a controllable and repeatable manner. Several market players are contributing to the market’s growth. For instance, in March 2021, Astrek Innovations, a healthcare start-up working with rehabilitation and assistive robotics, announced that it is in the last stages of product development and planned to begin user trials in the second quarter of 2021. The product development is accelerated by the Gurugram-based accelerator, Huddle. Astrek’s Unik Exosuit range is a motorized wearable robot that can help people with lower limb disabilities in gait training and performing exercises.

Hence, the factors mentioned above are expected to drive the market’s growth during the forecast period.

To understand key trends, Download Sample Report