S. Korean rehabilitation device wins FDA approval for medical device

[Courtesy of UNIST]

SEOUL -- A South Korean-made rehabilitation device designed to help degenerative knee arthritis patients manage and improve their lower body muscle strength was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device. The FDA approval will help the device's maker accelerate overseas sales.

Degenerative arthritis in knee joints sometimes causes muscle atrophy in patients due to pain that hinders patients from walking and stimulate the lower muscles in their legs and hip. South Korea with a population of some 51 million has become a rapidly aging country with about 20 percent of people expected to reach the age of 65 years old and older by 2025. About 38 percent of elderlies suffer from degenerative knee arthritis.

The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) said that rehabilitation device maker Cotras received FDA approval for "MOBILISE," an exercise machine for patients with degenerative knee arthritis. The machine was commercialized using technologies jointly developed by UNIST, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

The research institutes and the university hospital have been developing related technologies through a government-led project since September 2020. The technology was transferred to Cotras for the early commercialization of MOBILISE.

The rehabilitation device can offer step-by-step programs for elderlies by analyzing the level of muscle atrophy. UNIST said the device is easy to use at home thanks to its latest user-friendly features such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) interfaces that encourage patients to engage in their rehabilitation program more often.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com