CHALLENGES

Between 2000 and 2050, the older population (80 years+) is projected to almost qua­druple from approximately 100 million to 395 million people worldwide. Many of the elderly and patient groups such as patients with stroke or with incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries (SCIs) experience varying degrees of mobility impairment. Assistive devices play a pivotal role in their lives and impact on their ability to live independently and perform basic tasks of daily living. There are currently 3.2 million wheelchair users in Europe and further 40 million people who cannot walk without an aid. Yet most assis­tive devices, such as powered wheel chairs, do not encourage or support the activation of legs. XoSoft, to be developed by a consortium of five research groups and three companies with EU project experience in exoskeleton/assistive orthoics development, is a class I medical device for these and other user groups to answer their need for low to moderate mobility assistance.