NAGOYA -- Toyota Motor will rent out a rehabilitation robot designed to help people with lower-limb paralysis walk again, the automaker said Wednesday.
The Welwalk WW-1000 obtained approval for use as a medical device last November. Toyota will begin rentals to medical institutions this fall, targeting 100 units across Japan in three years. An initial fee of 1 million yen ($9,127) will be followed by a monthly charge of 350,000 yen. While cost remains an issue for medical institutions, Toyota plans to eventually get the robot into all 1,500 of Japan's rehabilitation facilities.
