Exoskeleton Start-Up Adds Amazon’s Alexa Voice Control

Futuristic start-up Bionik Laboratories has integrated Amazon’s flagship A.I. into its lower-body exosuit design.

The Arke lower-body exoskeleton is designed to allow those who have suffered spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and even strokes to stand up and walk again. But the bleeding-edge technology has remained largely inaccessible to many. This is why Hyundai pledged to make them more affordable, and why Bionik Laboratories has turned to Amazon’s digital assistant for their exosuit.

Rather than wrestling with complex machine controls, simple voice commands will allow the user to activate sensors within both the feet and joints of the bionic frame. It is a big step up for Alexa, and it time will tell whether it is up to a task that is both complex and functionally critical. The current prototype is also restricted to use within the range of an Amazon Echo home device.

The design must still receive FDA approval after passing further clinical trials, but Bionik Laboratories co-founder Michal Prywata believes it could be on the market by 2019. If so, we may be on the doorstep of an age in which those who have sustained life-altering injuries can regain their independence with five simple words: “Alexa, I’m ready to walk.”

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