# Lifeward

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/lifeward
Maker of the ReWalk, the first exoskeleton the FDA cleared for people with spinal cord injury (2014). Formerly ReWalk Robotics (incorporated in Israel in 2001 as Argo Medical Technologies); renamed Lifeward in 2024.

## In brief

- ReWalk got the first FDA clearance for a spinal-cord-injury exoskeleton (2014); ReWalk 7, the 7th generation, was cleared in March 2025.
- Medicare set a $91,032 payment for personal exoskeletons from April 2024, the first real route for patients to afford one.
- Small and cash-constrained: Q2 2026 revenue was $6.6M (ReWalk plus AlterG); July 2026 notes raised $5.6M, with $5.6M more on milestones.

## Facts

- Founded: 2001
- Headquarters: US, IL
- Status: public
- Listing: LFWD (NASDAQ)
- Raised: $5.6M
- Website: https://golifeward.com
- Frontiers: [Robotics](https://technooptimist.io/robotics.md) (Exoskeletons)

## Programs

- [ReWalk 7](https://technooptimist.io/robotics/rewalk-7.md) (Robotics): Deploy; next: Ottobock Care distribution pilot (six months) (Aug 2026). On sale in the US since April 2025; Medicare pays for it; widening access via an Ottobock Care pilot.

## Technical approach

- **Powered joints: Motors at hips and knees**: Gears and motors at each hip and knee move the legs through a walking pattern; the ankles and the user's crutches provide balance.
- **Intent: Body tilt starts each step**: A tilt sensor reads when the user leans forward and shifts weight, and the exoskeleton takes the next step in response.
- **Real-world use: Built for home and street**: Unlike clinic-only rehab frames, ReWalk is labelled for daily use at home and in the community, including stairs and curbs.

## Open problems

- **Paying for a $90k device** (partially solved): Each unit needs a prescription, training and an insurer approval before it is paid for, which slows every sale.
- **Scale and cash** (open): Revenue is a few million dollars a quarter; reaching more clinics depends on partners like Ottobock Care and on new financing.

## Upcoming

- **Feb 2027**: Ottobock Care pilot ends (six months from August 2026) (ReWalk 7)

## Latest updates

- **5 Aug 2026**: Lifeward starts a six-month pilot with Ottobock Care to widen US access to ReWalk 7. Lifeward and Ottobock Care, a US orthotics and prosthetics patient-care organisation, launched a six-month pilot to bring ReWalk 7 to more patients. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/lifeward-starts-a-six-month-pilot-with-ottobock-care-to-widen-us-access-19d60f9a.md) · [original source](https://www.homecaremag.com/news/lifeward-launches-pilot-program-ottobock-care))
- **15 Apr 2025**: Lifeward launches ReWalk 7 in the US with crutch controls, two speeds and cloud connectivity. Lifeward began US sales of ReWalk 7 for personal and clinical use. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/lifeward-launches-rewalk-7-in-the-us-with-crutch-controls-two-speeds-c98e4660.md) · [original source](https://golifeward.com/?p=3206))
- **13 Mar 2025**: FDA clears ReWalk 7, the seventh-generation ReWalk personal exoskeleton. Lifeward received FDA 510(k) clearance for ReWalk 7, the seventh generation of its personal exoskeleton for people with spinal cord injury. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/fda-clears-rewalk-7-the-seventh-generation-rewalk-personal-exoskeleton-3a46c957.md) · [original source](https://golifeward.com/?p=3127))
- **12 Apr 2024**: Medicare sets a $91,032 payment for personal exoskeletons such as the ReWalk. The US Medicare agency revised its April 2024 fee schedule to include a lump-sum payment for personal exoskeletons, including the ReWalk. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/medicare-sets-a-91-032-payment-for-personal-exoskeletons-such-as-the-5a371fde.md) · [original source](https://opedge.com/cms-revises-fee-schedule-to-include-rewalk-payment-rate/))

## Funding

| Date | Round | Amount | Post-money | Leads |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jul 2026 | Senior secured convertible notes | $5.6M |   |   |

## Partners, customers and investors

- Ottobock Care (partner): Six-month US pilot (Aug 2026) to fit and support ReWalk 7 patients through Ottobock's clinics.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (customer): Medicare pays a lump sum of $91,032 per personal exoskeleton (from April 2024).

---

The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt).
Data API (JSON, realtime stream): https://technooptimist.io/developers. People read 5 pages free, then Reader $10/month; these Markdown pages are open to agents.