Chengtian Technology Unveils Vision for 'The New Decade of Exoskeletons' in Recent IPO Filing

Recently, the 2022 6th Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference was held online. The conference invited innovators from various fields of the healthcare industry to explore and share new developments in China's healthcare sector through immersive online speeches and dialogues. To select Chinese innovative medical professionals who truly represent the future of healthcare and to promote the innovation and transformation process of the health and medical industry, the conference also established the Top 100 Main List, Value Domain List, Pengcheng Award, and Weilan Award.

Founder and CEO of Chengtian Technology

Dr. Wang Tian

Selected for the Weilan Award · Top 30 Young Scientists

Chengtian Technology

Top 100 Innovative Medical Devices

and was honored with the Pengcheng Award · Innovative Enterprise of the Year

Continuously Innovating and Developing: Looking Forward to the "New Decade of Exoskeletons"

At the Rehabilitation Robotics Innovation Forum, Dr. Wang Tian, Founder and CEO of Chengtian Technology, delivered a speech on the innovative rehabilitation solution “A New Decade for Exoskeletons,” outlining the future development of exoskeleton technology over the next ten years. The origins of Chengtian Technology’s founding team can be traced back to 2012, when a group of ambitious young professionals collaborated on special-purpose robotics projects, delved into robotic technologies, continuously validated their practices, and accumulated resources. Five years of project experience and team integration solidified their resolve to embark on entrepreneurship, leading to the establishment of Chengtian Technology. With five years of technological accumulation and five years of corporate growth, Chengtian Technology has now completed its first decade and is filled with confidence in the development of exoskeletons in the new decade ahead.

Starting from first principles of human nature, Dr. Wang Tian believes that “what is unattainable” and “what has been lost” are the most precious, and thus should constitute the core areas for the application of exoskeleton robot technology. After injury or aging, how can individuals maintain a high quality of life? Self-care is preferable to dependent care. As an empowering product, the exoskeleton represents the sole solution. Clinical research literature in the exoskeleton industry has shown an upward trend after a modest start, indicating broad future prospects alongside significant challenges.

As an emerging field, exoskeletons lack corresponding textbooks, specialized courses, and a reserve of trained professionals. The pathway to market in the medical industry is lengthy; Chengtian Technology produced its first prototype in 2016 but did not obtain its medical device registration certificate until 2020. During this period, the company not only optimized and iterated its product but also built capabilities for the design and production of underlying components, thereby achieving cost control and large-scale mass production of its exoskeletons.

Furthermore, the upgrade of digital intelligent systems in exoskeleton devices, combined with clinical therapies, has added innovative value to rehabilitation exoskeletons. Chengtian Exoskeleton’s digital rehabilitation system has taken shape, with a data center that aggregates and stores operational data from exoskeleton devices. Professional medical personnel annotate this data to establish a rehabilitation knowledge graph, laying the foundation for subsequent data analysis and mining.

Currently,Chengtian Technology'sAll eight exoskeleton models across three series have obtained medical device registration certificates and gained market access.As of the end of 2021, its exoskeleton products had established collaborations with more than 200 hospitals and medical institutions across China, covering over 90% of provincial-level administrative regions, with cumulative usage exceeding 130,000 person-times. Meanwhile, industrial product applications based on its core underlying technologies have been marketed as standalone products to 12 countries and regions both domestically and internationally, serving more than 130 clients.

Throughout their journey, Dr. Wang Tian and his team have encountered many moving moments. During a clinical trial at a hospital in Chengdu, they met an older female patient who was not a candidate for their product but stood by observing. As Dr. Wang’s team prepared to leave, she approached him, holding onto his arm to express her gratitude. She said that seeing such a dedicated group of people working hard gave her hope that a cure might be possible. The application of rehabilitation exoskeletons has brought hope to individuals with mobility impairments and disabilities. It is precisely this hope that has given Chengtian Technology the meaning and motivation to persevere.

"The New Decade of Exoskeletons" Development Promotes Multi-Domain Collaboration

During the online conference, Zhang Jiyu, Co-founder and Vice President of Operations at Chengtian Technology, also participated in the forum’s roundtable discussion. He engaged in in-depth exchanges with Dr. Chen Yue, Director of Therapy at Chengdu Gulian Jinchen Rehabilitation Hospital, and Sun Xiaoyi, Founder of Shanghai Youfu Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic, on new scenarios, technologies, and trends shaping the future of rehabilitation medicine. Zhang Jiyu stated that Chengtian Technology is keen to foster multi-sector dialogue with rehabilitation healthcare institutions and enterprises to explore new opportunities for collaborative development.

Chengtian’s ultimate vision for exoskeletons is human-machine symbiosis, akin to Venom, the anti-hero from Marvel, which can merge with its host to become a new human organ. Therefore, over the next decade, Chengtian Technology will continue to explore the integration of multi-domain technologies, making flexible intelligent wearables a reality.

In terms of the product itself, Chengtian Technology will continuously enhance the experience of exoskeleton rehabilitation services. By organically integrating digital intelligent services with exoskeleton devices, the company is comprehensively building a cloud-based rehabilitation platform, establishing a rehabilitation knowledge graph, and promoting the standardization of rehabilitation therapies to facilitate rehabilitation in community and even home settings.

From the perspective of technological integration, Chengtian Technology will focus on achieving breakthroughs in two key areas: brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and flexible materials. The latest generation of Chengtian’s rehabilitation exoskeleton technology has already achieved effortless intent detection through the application of multi-sensor fusion. The integration of BCI technology signifies that the exoskeleton devices will establish a self-balancing system, thereby enhancing active interaction between the device and the wearer. Furthermore, the use of flexible materials will address the bulkiness associated with traditional mechanical exoskeletons, enabling lightweight rehabilitation training.

In terms of collaboration within the medical and elderly care industry, Chengtian Technology maintains an open attitude. To comprehensively build a one-stop health and elderly care service platform, Chengtian Technology eagerly anticipates in-depth exchanges and cooperation with AI healthcare companies, internet healthcare enterprises, rehabilitation medical institutions, and universities. By leveraging its collaborative advantages with health and elderly care institutions, the company aims to develop consumer-grade exoskeletons for the end-user market, providing one-stop health and elderly care services to individuals with such needs. Patients can access these products through various models, including equipment rental and the purchase of rehabilitation services. As Chengtian Technology further integrates the exoskeleton industry chain, it will also offer more cost-effective products tailored for community and home-based care scenarios.

The integration and innovation of exoskeleton robotics with multiple disciplines and fields is imperative. The applications of exoskeleton robots will expand to more industries. Join Chengtian Technology in witnessing the "New Decade of Exoskeletons"!