【News】HAL® for Medical Use becomes the first winner of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare award for “7th Robot Award” ~Highly rated for societal implementation of innovative medical device~

An innovative robotic treatment device, HAL^® for Medical Use*, a device researched, developed, manufactured and distributed by CYBERDYNE, INC. (the “Company”) was selected as the first winner of the newly established Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare Award in the “7th Robot Award”. The presentation ceremony will take place in October 19, 2016 at Tokyo International Exhibition Center.

HAL^® for Medical Use have obtained manufacturing and distribution approval as a medical device in Japan and Europe as of October 2016. The device is covered by workers’ compensation insurance in Germany and public medical insurance in Japan and it is used for treatment in the two countries. Furthermore, the company is currently applying for public medical insurance coverage of the treatment with the device in Germany and medical device approval in U.S., while implementing official clinical trials to expand the target disease of HAL^® for Medical Use for strokes and other diseases and conducting researches to combine HAL^® with regenerative medicine as well as drugs in Japan. As HAL^® for Medical Use allows operators to monitor the brain/nervous system and the musculoskeletal system of their patients, it is able to cover both the treatment and evaluation aspects of medicine. As such is the case, HAL^® for Medical Use is anticipated to be a new platform in the field of medicine.

 HAL^® for Medical Use won the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Robot Award under the category of business and social implementation/welfare and medical field. Reasons for the selection are stated below.

 Reasons for selections [This is an only trial translation of Robot Awards’ press release, done by CYBERDYNE INC. (“the Company”). The Company is not responsible for the content of it.]

HAL^®for Medical Use that obtained the manufacturing and distribution approval as a medical device for the treatment of patients of rare neuromuscular diseases is a successful example of robotic medical device in practical use. The device was rated highly because it succeeded in improving the walking function when conducting the treatment to delay the progress of rare neuromuscular disease. Achievement of   HAL^®for Medical Use, presented effectiveness on improving the walking ability of patients with slowly progressing rare disease that have been considered intractable even with modern medicine in other advanced countries shall be widely acknowledged.

 【* HAL for Medical Use】
In 2013, HAL® for Medical Use obtained a conformity certification (CE marking) from a European accreditation organization and became the first robotic treatment device for patients suffering from brain, nerve and muscular diseases. In Germany, patients are able to claim the entire fee for treatment of spinal cord injuries using HAL® for Medical Use with the public workers’ compensation insurance. In Japan, investigator-led trial for the treatment with HAL® for Medical Use of slowly progressing rare neuromuscular diseases (Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Spinobulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), Distal Myopathy, Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), Congenital Myopathy and Muscular Dystrophy) was conducted, leading to the manufacturing and distribution approval under the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act of Japan as a new medical device in November 2011 and determination of public medical insurance pricing in April 2016.

【HAL ®】
The cyborg-type robot, HAL® is an innovative Cybernic System developed for the purpose of regenerating and improving patients’ brain-neuro-physical functions especially in the medical field. HAL is equipped with the Cybernic Treatment Control System, which includes the Cybernic Voluntary Control, a function based on the patient’s bio-electrical signals derived from the brain and nervous system that reflect the patient’s intended movement, the Cybernic Autonomous Control, a function based on processing information on the wearer’s movement such as posture and balance by artificial intelligence, the Cybernic Impedance Control, a function that adjusts to the wearer’s individual characteristics, and a Cybernic Hybrid Control System, which combines all those three functions.
　HAL® moves according to the bio-electrical signals generated when the brain commands the body to move. When this bio-electrical signal is released, HAL® will achieve the intended movement. Simultaneously, the body will send back various sensory signals to the brain. HAL®’s presence between the patient’s brain/nervous system and musculoskeletal system allows interactive bio-feedback (iBF) to be established, promoting the functional improvement of the physical and neuromuscular systems.

【Robot Award】
Robot Award was established to award outstanding robots that are anticipated to create new markets. The award was originally hosted by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as well as The Japan Machinery Federation, and from this 7th Robot Award, several ministry joined as co-sponsors, expanding the covered fields to “manufacture”, “service”, “welfare and medicine”, “infrastructure, disaster recovery and construction”, as well as “agriculture, fishery and food industries”. HAL^® for Medical Use became the first robot to be selected for the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare award which was newly established with this expansion.

Links (In Japanese only)
Robot Award 　http://www.robotaward.jp/winning/index.html#R04
Japan Robot Week 2016 　http://biz.nikkan.co.jp/eve/s-robot/heisai.html