Cyborg-like walking assistance device targets China's expanding elderly market

HANGZHOU - The cyborgs of science fiction, once symbols of superhuman abilities, are now powering China's elderly care revolution as the nation's silver economy surges.

An exoskeleton walking aid device, designed by startup RoboCT located in Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, can make hiking easier for seniors by counteracting the weight of five bottles of water with each leg lift.

RoboCT plans to launch its latest innovation late this month. It is priced at an affordable 2,000 yuan ($276). In China's eastern tech hub, more firms like RoboCT are developing robotics aimed at assisting elderly mobility.

RoboCT's engineers noticed that many elderly people walk with bent backs, take small steps and use waist braces in nursing homes, and so they focused the device's assistance efforts on the waist, back and hips.

"The product assists with hip flexion and stabilizes the lumbar spine to help seniors walk with longer strides, quicker steps and greater stability," said Yan Hai, RoboCT's product director, in an interview with Xinhua.