Ottobock, a global provider of prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeletons have acquired suitX, a US company spun out of the Robotics and Human Engineering Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.

SuitX specializes in research and development of occupational and medical exoskeletons. The purchase will allow the company to combine expertise and take the exoskeleton market to consumers.

The portfolios of the two companies are considered complementary and provide exoskeletons that relieve strain on the body. Specifically, the product range includes support for the wrist, thumb, neck, back, leg and shoulder.

“Together with suitX, Ottobock’s exoskeletons business Paexo will become a world leading provider of exoskeletons in production, logistics, servicing, and the trade sector,” added Phillip Schulte-Noelle, CEO of Ottobock. “We will jointly create significant socio-economic benefits by improving occupational health for employees while reducing sickness absence and treatment costs for companies and healthcare systems. This transaction increases our footprint and network in North America and comes at the perfect time as we expect the market for occupational exoskeleton solutions to grow dynamically in the coming years.”