From Laboratory to Clinic: Wearable Robots and Rehabilitation Outcomes

Kyoungchul (KC) Kong

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST

Location: Stanford Robotics Center, Packard Electrical Engineering Bldg, Basement

Abstract:

Over the past decade, wearable robots have moved from research prototypes to everyday tools in Korean rehabilitation practice. This talk shares that journey through the experience of Angel Robotics, a KAIST spin-off founded in 2017 and listed on KOSDAQ in 2024, whose gait rehabilitation robots are now used in rehabilitation hospitals across Korea and other Asian countries. Rather than presenting new algorithms, the talk focuses on what it took to bring wearable robots into real clinical workflows: designing systems that therapists can operate within standard treatment sessions, navigating medical device regulation and reimbursement, and building trust with clinicians and patients. The talk also revisits the WalkON Suit series, developed for individuals with complete paraplegia, which earned gold medals at Cybathlon 2020 and 2024, as a case study of how competition-driven development and user-centered iteration shaped both the technology and the company. Along the way, lessons learned from clinical deployment are discussed, including where current technology genuinely helps patients, where it still falls short, and how the gap between laboratory performance and clinical value can be narrowed. The talk concludes with reflections on commercialization as a research activity in its own right, and on opportunities for collaboration between the biomechanics and wearable robotics communities.

Bio: 

Kyoungchul (KC) Kong is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, where he directs the Exoskeleton Laboratory (EXO-Lab). He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2009. He is the Founder and Board Chairperson (formerly CEO) of Angel Robotics, a spin-off company commercializing wearable robots for rehabilitation, which was listed on KOSDAQ in 2024. His team won gold medals at Cybathlon 2020 and 2024 in the powered exoskeleton race, and his honors include the Best Innovation Award from the President of Korea (2017) and KAISTian of the Year (2024).