
Launch HN: Trexo Robotics (YC W19) – Robotic Legs for Kids with Cerebral Palsy - manmeet
Hi HN community! We&#x27;re Rahul and Manmeet, co-founders of Trexo Robotics (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;trexorobotics.com" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;trexorobotics.com</a>)
At Trexo Robotics, we&#x27;re building wearable robotic devices to help children with disabilities learn to walk, in many cases for the first time in their lives. 
Video: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;3LW4LJIpa2o" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;3LW4LJIpa2o</a><p>We are both Mechatronics undergrads from the University of Waterloo. Rahul later completed a Master&#x27;s in Robotics at the University of Toronto and I&#x27;ve done my MBA at Rotman.<p>We started this a few years ago when I (Manmeet) found out that my nephew, Praneit, has Cerebral Palsy, and that he would not be able to walk. Not walking can lead to contractures, hip subluxation, and many physiological and psychological issues for kids. We wanted to change that. We decided to use our robotics background, along with help from friends and the top rehabilitation researchers in North America, and in 2016,  watched my nephew take his first steps using our device. Watching Praneit walk is definitely the proudest moment of my life, and we realized that there are families all over the world that can benefit from this, so we started Trexo Robotics.<p>The Trexo device is available for $899 per month (via financing) or can be purchased outright for $29,900. 
It is an exercise and therapy tool, allowing children to get the benefits of daily walking at their homes. We decided to design it so that it attaches onto an existing walker. Currently, it only works with Rifton&#x27;s Dynamic Pacer, but hopefully, we can add other walkers later on as well. Our controller allows you to modify the gait pattern to adapt to the needs of different kids and adjust the amount of force&#x2F;assistance that the robot provides on each joint.
We are already launched, with kids using it to walk thousands of steps daily. It has been amazing to see the interest of families.
Our device is available for pre-order. Our 2019 production is already fully reserved, and we are now taking reservations for next year.<p>Really interested to hear the HN community&#x27;s thoughts on our approach, and experiences families or others have had in this space.
======
writimov
Fantastic product! Really great that you have been able to help people become
empowered for themselves.

Scale: Do you need help reducing the BOM costs? You could go for economies of
scale (and reuse 75% of the same BOM) and build a variant for adult
rehabilitation for injured soldiers, car accident victims or others with leg
injuries.

Or how about a variant that allows for anyone to use to strengthen imbalances
in muscle training/development? It could be gym equipment that you get on, it
takes measurements of your leg strength by putting you through its paces, then
it gives you a customized workout to balance your muscles for optimum
strength. These exercises for imbalance measurement aren't an exact fit to the
machine but can give you an idea: [https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/muscle-
imbalances-functio...](https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/muscle-imbalances-
functional-movement-screen/)

~~~
manmeet
We are still producing at low quantities, but we have a pathway to bring down
BOM costs with scale. In terms of other applications, the technology that we
are building can evolve for other uses over time, but its not a straight
replacement. We wanted to target an immediate need that we saw in the world
today.

~~~
writimov
Great! Keep it up!

------
balfirevic
Congratulations, this looks fantastic! I'm afraid I don't have anything useful
to contribute from medical standpoint, but I have a couple of technical
questions if you don't mind.

What kind of actuators are you using (motors/transmission/motor controller)?
Are they off-the-shelf parts or developed in-house? What is approximate
power/torque?

How did you approach the motion control aspect from the user-safety
standpoint? I don't know if the device is powerful enough to cause injury, but
if it is - how do you go about development/QA to minimize chance of harm?

Thanks!

~~~
manmeet
The base actuator is an off the shelf maxon, with our custom sensors and
custom motor controller. In terms of motion control, safety was the most
important piece when designing our system. There are safety checks in the
mechanical, electrical and the software sub system. There is a maximum force
that the controller exerts on the child, which can be lowered or increased for
each child. In addition to the child resisting, we also had to account for
spasticity and sudden tone while walking. The controller detects high
resistance and caps off the max force it sends to the motor.

------
jamestimmins
This looks pretty amazing, and it's exciting to see this technology applied to
an area that is likely overlooked but extremely important.

I noticed that the full purchase option only comes with a 2 year warranty.
That seems a bit short, no? Given that this costs as much as a car, I'd expect
a warranty similar to what you'd find on a Honda, for example.

I'm not your target audience, so take that with a few grains of salt.

~~~
manmeet
That's a good point. Perhaps we can build a similar model to a car warranty
where the actuators are covered for a longer period, but other components are
not. Atleast it gives people a peace of mind regarding the most expensive
items.

------
jayjay71
I just want to congratulate you on launching a product that I hope will have
an incredibly positive impact for numerous families. I wish you the best of
luck in your endeavor!

~~~
manmeet
Thank you!

------
option_greek
That's a great video. Are the users expected to regain some of the walking
ability in the future by using these machines ?

Btw, what kind of motors go into these ? they look funky :)

~~~
manmeet
Thanks! We have done some case studies where we have found improvements in
walking. However, the primary case is that by using this device to walk at
home everyday, kids can avoid many of the complications that may arise from
sitting, i.e contractures, hip subluxation and other issues.

We will be conducting clinical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of our
device in helping reduce some of these complications.

------
avip
Could you make some comparison with ReWalk ?

~~~
rudasi
The ReWalk is a great device for adults with spinal cord injury as an example.
The Trexo is specifically designed for children as a therapeutic device.
Compared to adults who might have had spinal cord injury, children generally
do not have upper body strength and in many cases have low bone densities. By
building around a walker that many children already have and use we have
eliminated the risk of falling and also have the ability to increase the
weight bearing over time.

------
dlphn___xyz
how did you determine the cost of 29K?

~~~
manmeet
This price is based on our current costs of producing and servicing these
units at our projected quantities. It is still quite expensive for most
families, unfortunately. Our goal is to engage with insurance companies to
make this more affordable and accessible for the larger population, based on
the early adopters that are buying and the clinical studies we are doing.

~~~
samstave
The thing that pisses me off is that there are so many startups or companies
where insurance companies would benefit from providing service to product
mappings much more smoothly and efficiently.

You should have to “think about wngaging with insurance companies”

There should be a fucking marketplace and a brokering system already in place
that your products can be submitted to and that system gets you engaged with
the insurance companies and thus your ultimate customers.

~~~
joedevon
That marketplace sounds like a startup idea.

------
betimsl
How do you justify the price of $1k/mo? -- isn't that a bit too much?

~~~
manmeet
We have made significant progress towards lowering the price of our system,
considering that similar devices up until now cost $75k-$150k. But it is still
quite expensive for the vast majority. Our price will continue to reduce over
time, making it more accessible for both families and insurance.

------
moocowtruck
wow do i wish i could afford this... I adopted a child from a bulgarian
orphanage 2 years ago who has CP and this seems like it would be a game
changer for her.

Great work !

