The market for exoskeleton robots in China surpassed 1.6 billion yuan (approximately $237 million) last year, with the medical rehabilitation sector dominating most of that figure, according to a report from International Data Corporation.
Approximately 26,000 exoskeleton units valued at 1.6 billion yuan were shipped across China in 2022. Despite medical rehabilitation exoskeletons representing only 17% of total shipments, their contribution to the overall value exceeded 1.4 billion yuan—over 88% of the total market value.
Consumption-focused exoskeleton robots saw shipments of about 19,000 units last year, accounting for more than 73% of all units shipped. These benefited from an aging population and decreasing manufacturing costs. However, their total value was only around 110 million yuan ($16.3 million), making up about 6.8% of the market value.
The remaining 3,800 units, worth roughly 78 million yuan ($11.6 million), were primarily used in industrial applications. These accounted for 15% of the total units and nearly 5% of the market’s value.
Currently, medical rehabilitation exoskeleton robots are mainly used in established clinical settings, such as hospitals and clinics. One of China’s early developers of medical rehabilitation exoskeletons noted that these devices will only become consumer products after they are effectively implemented in elderly care centers and nursing homes for long-term functional maintenance.
Over the next three years, industry leaders predict that exoskeleton robots will evolve from primarily “assistive devices” into common “everyday equipment.” Once gaining recognition within the medical industry, their adoption in consumer markets and industrial manufacturing is expected to gradually increase, said Liu Yun, chairman of Huayi Capital.
The key hurdle for advancing exoskeleton technology is not hardware assembly but rather the development of artificial intelligence for intent recognition, lightweight design, and closed-loop data algorithms, Liu explained. Companies should focus on enhancing AI perception abilities and creating integrated data-driven business models to foster growth in this sector.