SuitX to sell at lower cost prices

https://techcrunch.com/video-article/suitx-makes-low-cost-exoskeletons-for-rehab-and-work/

The front of SuitX’s East Bay headquarters is an empty room. No reception desk, no furniture — it’s about as unassuming as robotics office spaces get. For now, it’s a trial space, where perspective clients can try out the startup’s soft robotics exoskeletons in person, to see if they’ll fulfill their specific industrial or medical needs.

SuitX aims to distinguish itself with pricing. On the medical side of the spectrum, the company hopes that a less expensive and more adaptable version of its offering will help the company extend beyond physical therapy centers. At $40,000 the Phoenix is not exactly cheap, but it’s still a fraction of the $100,000 asking price of competing systems.

Like many startups in the robotics world, the lab’s exoskeleton work was developed for the benefit of the military. The creation of a lightweight, wearable robotic device could help soldiers relieve some of the strain of lugging giant packs long distances over rough terrains.

“We really focused on simplicity, right from the beginning,” says Tung. “Driving the cost down, so more people can have access to these devices. If you have a really good device that costs $100,000, not a lot of people can have access to them. On the industrial side, we’re focusing primarily on back injuries, leg injuries and shoulder injuries with the BackX. It’s designed to support the weight of the user’s upper body and whatever weight he’s holding, transferring that weight to the legs, bypassing injury-prone back muscles.