Wearable Robotics secures €5 million to enhance its arm exoskeleton.

      The Sant’Anna spin-off based in Pisa has rolled out its ALEX RS bilateral upper-limb exoskeleton in 20 countries since its establishment in 2014. CDP Venture Capital spearheaded the Series A funding round, while SIMEST contributed to international expansion financing through the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

      Wearable Robotics, an Italian company specializing in rehabilitation technology stemming from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, has secured €5 million in a Series A funding round to enhance its international growth and complete its product range.

      The funding round was led by CDP Venture Capital via its Accelerators Fund, with contributions from MITO Technology, LIFTT, SIMEST, RoboIT, and Toscana Next, which is a co-investment fund operated by CDP Venture Capital and supported by major banking foundations in Tuscany. Lucia Lencioni is the CEO of the company.

      Founded in 2014, Wearable Robotics develops wearable robotic rehabilitation devices that incorporate augmented and virtual reality systems for neuromotor recovery. Its main product, ALEX RS, is a bilateral upper-limb exoskeleton intended for post-stroke rehabilitation, capable of addressing 92% of the natural range of motion of the human arm.

      The device has received CE certification as a Class IIa medical device, and over 50 units have been utilized in clinical hospitals and rehabilitation centers across 20 countries.

      Wearable Robotics holds a portfolio of eight proprietary patents that cover areas such as kinematics, sensors, actuation systems, and exoskeleton design. Its biomedical division operates under the name Nexum Robotics.

      SIMEST’s involvement is noteworthy, as this Italian state-supported institution provides financial backing to Italian companies seeking international expansion under a mandate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, indicating a targeted focus on North America.

      The diversified investor consortium, combining the startup infrastructure of CDP Venture Capital, LIFTT’s emphasis on deep tech (as noted in a LIFTT portfolio document confirming support for Wearable Robotics since 2023), and RoboIT’s national technology transfer mission for robotics, illustrates a unified Italian public-private effort behind one of Europe’s more clinically validated rehabilitation robotics companies.

      The €5 million raised will be used to complete the product portfolio, gain regulatory approvals in new markets, expand commercial and distribution networks, and optimize production capacity. The rehabilitation robotics sector has significant commercial potential, with Wearable Robotics estimating that 200 million patients worldwide require neuromotor rehabilitation following strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.

      According to the company, traditional physical therapy only achieves complete mobility recovery in about 10% of patients, highlighting the need for robotic rehabilitation systems designed to provide more intensive, measurable, and personalized treatment to bridge this gap.