2017 / 08 / 10
FREE Bionics Inc. Chairman Wu Cheng-Hua (third from left) signing their contract with Mori Kiyotaka, President of Japan’s largest medical agent, USCI (third from right). Invited guests witnessing the signing included Liu Zhong-Ming, President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (second from left), and Hu Jwu-Sheng, Director of Mechanical & Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (first from left), Huang Jun-Dong, Information Technology Officer of Wistron Corporation (second from right) and Su Tan-Zong, Free Bionic Inc.’s sales representative in Taiwan (first from right) and other guests.
FREE Bionics Inc. Chairman Wu Cheng-Hua (third from left) signing their contract with Mori Kiyotaka, President of Japan’s largest medical agent, USCI (third from right). Invited guests witnessing the signing included Liu Zhong-Ming, President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (second from left), and Hu Jwu-Sheng, Director of Mechanical & Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (first from left), Huang Jun-Dong, Information Technology Officer of Wistron Corporation (second from right) and Su Tan-Zong, Free Bionic Inc.’s sales representative in Taiwan (first from right) and other guests.
Built in Taiwan, but made for the world – Taiwan’s Free Bionics Inc. from ITRI officially launched its mobile auxiliary robot. On the 10th of this month, Wu Cheng-Hua, chairman of FREE Bionics Inc., and Mori Kiyotaka, President of Japan’s largest medical agent USCI sign a contract to introduce the medical device to ten or more specialty hospitals in Japan. Further collaborations are promised as both companies work to promote the product to the market worldwide. By 2019, FREE Bionics Inc. expects to become a leader in the production and innovation of paraplegic mobility aid robot. Free Bionics Inc. strives to bring hope in those who wishes to stand again, and bring Taiwan’s development to the world.
Liu Zhong-Ming, said that ITRI has always been constantly promoting scientific and technological innovation and encouraging colleagues to set up new companies and businesses. Furthermore, he commented that, in future commercial upscaling, adding innovative elements can provide services to meet the client’s demand if the technology extended from system integration to software service. This way, we can open more venues to creative solutions and surpassing the current technical limitations. To FREE bionics inc., a breakthrough here is not just to fulfill the patient’s dream to stand again, but an important milestone in ethical research and human-centered innovation.
“We are always motivated by our disabled patient dream to stand gain.” Wu Cheng-Hua pointed out. “our team work tirelessly every day to transform our technology into a usable and understandable product; to make standing and walking a realizable dream to the paraplegic community. That is why we created our community earlier this year.”
“We launched our mobility assist robot in Japan because our team had a strong working relationship in the development of this robot for many years. This, on top of the Japanese government’s generosity and optimism towards our product make this a viable and effective decision to push our product to initially start in Japan’s market. That said, we still strive to be the world’s leader in paraplegic mobility-assist robot by 2019.
Mori Kiyotaka believes that FREE Bionics Inc. aptly emphasized human-centered design, and one of the best when compared with other similar exoskeleton robot products, with many of our country’s physician supporting its dissemination. They were attentive to the user experiences, and tailored the software and hardware so that the user can naturally walk and stand in comfort. He further commented that USCI will promote Free Bionics’ product, and by 2018, will be available to be utilized in more than 10 key hospitals.
After observing the AI servicing robots around the world, exoskeleton robots are considered the next breakthrough in health innovation and technology after the da-Vinci surgical robot. According to ITRI’s IEK estimates, the market value of AI service robots is expected to grow from 12.2 billion in 2011 to 33.6 billion in 2021 globally, with medical and healthcare robot as the main force of the growth. Additionally, the report further states that the size of the service-orientated robot market will be greater than the size of industrial robot market.
Optimistic about the technical energy and follow-up market development potential of FREE Bionics inc., Wistron Corporation not only invests FREE Bionics Inc., but plans to help support the development of the FREE Bionics. Wistron Corporation technological officer, Mr. Huang Jun-Dong, said that in the face of the future development trend of medical technology, Wistron was looking forward to a stronger cooperation with the FREE Bionics Inc. team through research and development. FREE Bionics Inc. is one of Wiston’s core strategies to invest in the medical industry, hoping that the results in their medical discovery will bring more welfare for the general public.
Since 2011, Wu Cheng-Hua led ITRI’s research team into researching and develop lightweight auxiliary robot for patients with spinal injuries. By design of wearing exoskeleton robot, the paraplegic patients to regain capacity to stand, sit, to walk on roads, stairs, and ramp. The innovative research and development also received the R & D 100 Awards in 2016.
FREE Bionics Inc. adheres to the “people-oriented” philosophy. In addition to designing the lighter, thinner product, we actively seek the view feedback of those who experienced, give priority to consider the user’s physiological conditions and lifestyle, and design products tailored for the users’ individual demands. FREE Bionics Inc. also showcased the latest generation of mobility aids robot, which not only has a safe, convenient and user-friendly design, but also through the mechanism designed for friends of height 150 cm to 190 cm, and up to 100 kg.
ITRI’s mission is to promotes industrial development, creates economic value, and enhances social welfare - through science and technological research and development. Since its inception, it has had over twenty thousand patents and created and bred more than 260 listed companies, including TSMC, UMC, Taiwan Mask CORP., Epistar Corporation, MIRLE AUTOMATION CORPORATION.
【News Contact】
FREE Bionics Inc. Wu Zhuo-Yun 03-5506251#502/0988-696929，CYWu@freebionics.com.tw
ITRI Marketing Communications Office Yan Ya-Juan 03-5917363/0912-666847，Erica.yen@itri.org.tw
FREE Bionics Inc. company profile
Founder: Wu Cheng-Hua
Founded in: 2017
Number of company staff: 18 people
Capital: NT $ 100 million
USCI Japan company profile
President: Mori kiyotaka
Founded in: USCI Group was established in 1980.
Company size: over 1300 hospital customers in Japan
Annual revenue: about 23 billion yen. Revenue accounted for 10% market share of the Japanese market.
