The Ekso, a wearable battery-powered exoskeleton robot available through the Berkeley, Calif-based company Ekso Bionics, is reportedly among the recent winners of the 2012 Edison Awards. An Ekso Bionics news release notes that executives representing world-recognized brands and up-and-coming companies gathered to attend the award ceremony, which recognized exceptional innovation in 15 categories and industries. The Ekso device took the distinction of Gold Edison Award Winner in the assistive technology category.

The judging panel for the awards included more than 3,000 leading business executives, academics and leaders in the fields of product development, design, engineering, science, and medicine, and members of the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), according to the news release. 

Eythor Bender, Ekso Bionics president, emphasizes the significance of the award to the company and spotlights the exoskeleton’s role as a viable mobility option for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), “Ekso’s value is evident in the demand for the device. We’re taking multiple orders from several of the top rehabilitation centers in the US and the product has only been commercially available for 2 months. The Edison Award is a tangible source of encouragement for our team to continuing building on this early bionic technology with the goal of augmenting everybody’s bodies and lives,” Bender adds.

Rodger DeRose, Kessler Foundation president and CEO, West Orange, NJ, voices Kessler’s pride in the device’s recognition, “Kessler Foundation is pleased to be one of the early sites to explore Ekso’s role in rehabilitation, including the potential health benefits of standing and walking for people with impaired mobility,” DeRose says.

Nominees were judged on a new set of evaluation criteria designed to establish a new definition of innovation, leveraging the primary assessment themes of concept, value, delivery, and impact, according to the news release.

The Edison Awards represent the spirit of innovation inspired by Thomas Edison while inspiring and recognizing individuals in the forefront of creativity and ingenuity.

Source(s): Esko Bionics, Kessler Foundation