Antara Care Homes has introduced the ExoAtlet II robotic exoskeleton at its Bannerghatta facility in Bengaluru, expanding access to technology-assisted rehabilitation for people recovering from neurological illness, paralysis and orthopaedic surgery.
The wearable system supports the hips and legs while guiding patients through controlled standing and walking exercises. It will be used alongside conventional physiotherapy within rehabilitation programmes led by medical and therapy professionals.
Antara has also added a robotic device for hand and finger retraining, giving its Bannerghatta centre technology for both lower-limb gait rehabilitation and upper-limb recovery. The company says the equipment will support patients affected by stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neurological disorders, prolonged illness and selected hip or knee replacement procedures.
The development reflects the growing role of robotics within India’s rehabilitation sector. It also raises an important clinical principle: robotic systems can increase the intensity and consistency of therapy, but they do not replace the judgement of rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, orthotists and other professionals.
Exoskeleton supports repetitive walking practice
The ExoAtlet II is worn around the patient’s lower body and assists movement at the hips and knees.
During a therapy session, it can help the patient complete a large number of controlled walking movements. Antara says the system can enable hundreds of physiologically guided steps during a single session—an intensity that may be difficult to provide through manual assistance alone.
Repetition is particularly important in neurological rehabilitation.
Following a stroke or brain injury, the nervous system may need repeated task-specific practice to relearn movement patterns. A therapist may otherwise need to support the patient’s trunk and legs physically, which can limit the number of steps completed and place considerable strain on staff.
A robotic exoskeleton can provide consistent assistance while allowing the therapist to focus on posture, weight transfer, balance, engagement and the quality of movement.
The device is not intended to walk on behalf of the patient indefinitely. Its purpose is to create a structured environment in which the patient can practise standing and stepping safely while gradually contributing more effort.
Every patient requires individual assessment
Not everyone with impaired mobility will be suitable for robotic gait training.
Antara says each patient will first undergo a clinical assessment. When exoskeleton therapy is considered appropriate, the device will be calibrated to the person’s physical condition and rehabilitation goals. Its settings can then be adjusted progressively as recovery develops.
Assessment may consider:
- The cause and severity of the mobility impairment
- Joint range of movement
- Muscle strength and tone
- Bone and joint stability
- Cardiovascular tolerance
- Body size and weight
- Skin condition
- Cognitive ability and communication
- The patient’s ability to participate actively
- Rehabilitation objectives
Some patients may first require treatment for pain, contractures, pressure injuries or medical instability.
Robotic technology should therefore be prescribed as one part of an individual programme rather than offered simply because a patient has difficulty walking.
Technology complements hands-on physiotherapy
Lt Col Dr Faisal Husain, Medical Superintendent at Antara Assisted Care Services, said successful motor rehabilitation depends on personalisation, repetition and consistency.
He explained that each patient’s programme is directed by a rehabilitation specialist and delivered by trained physiotherapists. When robotic gait training is indicated, the exoskeleton is used alongside hands-on therapy to help the patient practise safely and work towards greater functional independence.
This multidisciplinary approach is important.
A robotic system can reproduce stepping movements, but rehabilitation also needs to address:
- Sitting and standing balance
- Transfers between bed, chair and toilet
- Muscle strength
- Joint mobility
- Upper-limb function
- Coordination
- Endurance
- Falls prevention
- Personal care
- Home and community mobility
A person may successfully walk inside the exoskeleton but still need substantial support to move independently at home.
The wider rehabilitation plan must therefore connect robotic training with practical daily activities.
Potential applications after stroke
Stroke is one of the most important potential applications for robotic gait rehabilitation.
Patients may experience weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, altered muscle tone, poor balance and difficulty coordinating the affected leg. Some lose the ability to stand or walk independently.
Exoskeleton-assisted therapy may help selected patients practise:
- Upright posture
- Weight-bearing through both legs
- Repeated stepping
- Hip and knee movement
- Controlled weight transfer
- More symmetrical gait patterns
The therapist can observe whether the patient is actively participating or relying too heavily on the machine.
The goal is not simply to accumulate a high step count. Each session should contribute towards meaningful functions such as standing from a chair, walking with an aid or moving safely around the home.
Spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation
The system may also support selected people recovering from spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury.
These patients can present with highly varied needs. Some retain partial movement and sensation, while others have extensive paralysis. Associated problems may include spasticity, poor trunk control, fatigue and autonomic or cardiovascular complications.
Standing and stepping practice may offer physical and psychological benefits, but therapy must be carefully supervised.
Clinicians need to monitor:
- Blood pressure and dizziness
- Skin pressure
- Joint alignment
- Spasticity
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Bone health
- Tolerance of upright positioning
The exoskeleton should not be treated as a universal route to independent walking. For some patients, the primary goals may be supported standing, exercise, improved confidence or prevention of complications rather than unassisted community mobility.
Role in orthopaedic recovery
Antara also identifies selected patients recovering from hip and knee replacement surgery as possible users of the technology.
Following orthopaedic surgery, patients may avoid loading the operated side because of pain, weakness or fear. Guided gait training could help reinforce a more controlled walking pattern as part of a medically approved recovery programme.
However, timing and suitability will depend on surgical instructions, wound healing and weight-bearing restrictions.
A robotic exoskeleton should only be introduced when the treating team has confirmed that the patient can safely participate.
Conventional exercises, strengthening and functional practice will remain necessary before and after the robotic session.
Hand rehabilitation technology added
The Bannerghatta centre has also introduced an advanced robotic system for hand and finger retraining.
Upper-limb impairment can be one of the most disabling consequences of stroke, brain injury and neurological disease.
A patient may regain the ability to walk but remain unable to dress, eat, write or manage medication independently because of poor hand function.
Robotic hand rehabilitation can support repeated movements such as opening and closing the fingers. It may also provide feedback and structured practice when voluntary movement is limited.
As with gait robotics, the technology should be connected to functional goals.
Practising finger movements becomes more meaningful when combined with activities such as holding a cup, using a phone, fastening clothing or handling everyday objects.
Responding to India’s ageing population
Antara says the investment responds partly to India’s increasing burden of stroke, neurological disease, degenerative musculoskeletal conditions and falls.
India is projected to have approximately 347 million people aged 60 or older by 2050. As the population ages, the number of people living with stroke, frailty, joint disease and mobility limitations is expected to grow.
Ishaan Khanna, CEO of Antara Assisted Care Services, said stroke and related conditions are major causes of adult-onset mobility loss. He argued that timely and structured rehabilitation can improve limb function, reduce complications and support quality of life.
The World Health Organization similarly expects global rehabilitation demand to continue rising because people are living longer and more individuals are surviving chronic diseases including stroke, cancer and diabetes.
India will consequently need more rehabilitation capacity across hospitals, transition-care facilities, outpatient centres and community services.
Transition care can bridge hospital and home
Antara’s Bannerghatta centre provides transition and rehabilitation care for people who no longer require an acute hospital bed but are not yet ready to manage safely at home.
The 80-bed facility supports people recovering after surgery, intensive care, prolonged hospital stays and neurological illness. Services include supervised therapy, nursing care and assistance with everyday activities.
This period between hospital discharge and returning home can be critical.
Without structured rehabilitation, patients may become weaker, develop contractures or lose confidence. Family members may also struggle to provide the level of physical assistance required.
A transition-care setting can provide concentrated therapy while preparing the patient and family for the next stage of recovery.
Robotic rehabilitation may be particularly useful in this environment because patients can receive repeated sessions as part of a broader daily programme.
Orthotists can contribute to robotic rehabilitation
Although exoskeleton therapy is often associated with physiotherapy and rehabilitation medicine, orthotists can also play an important role.
Patients with neurological weakness may need ankle-foot orthoses or other devices to support safe movement outside robotic sessions.
Orthotists can contribute by assessing:
- Ankle instability
- Foot drop
- Knee control
- Spasticity
- Contractures
- Pressure and skin risk
- Footwear requirements
- Long-term bracing needs
The movement created by the exoskeleton may differ from the patient’s movement with an orthosis, walking aid or family assistance.
Communication between the robotic therapy team and the orthotist can therefore help ensure that gains achieved during sessions transfer into everyday mobility.
Robotics should not widen access inequalities
Robotic systems remain concentrated in specialist private hospitals and larger rehabilitation centres.
Their expansion is encouraging, but India must avoid creating a two-tier system in which advanced rehabilitation is available only to patients able to afford private residential care.
The wider priority remains access to basic, high-quality rehabilitation delivered by trained professionals.
This includes:
- Early assessment after stroke or injury
- Sufficient physiotherapy
- Appropriate orthoses and walking aids
- Wheelchair provision
- Home modification
- Caregiver training
- Community follow-up
- Vocational and social reintegration
Robotics can strengthen these services, but it cannot compensate for shortages of therapists or weak community rehabilitation.
Healthcare providers should also evaluate whether technology-assisted care produces sufficient clinical benefit to justify its cost.
Outcomes should be measured carefully
The introduction of the ExoAtlet II gives Antara an opportunity to collect Indian clinical data on robotic rehabilitation.
Useful outcomes could include:
- Number of steps completed
- Level of robotic assistance required
- Standing and walking ability
- Walking speed and endurance
- Balance
- Transfer independence
- Muscle strength
- Falls
- Patient confidence
- Ability to complete daily activities
- Length of rehabilitation stay
- Discharge destination
Technology can sometimes produce impressive session statistics without translating into meaningful independence.
Outcome measurement should therefore combine device-generated data with functional assessments and patient-reported goals.
Comparing results with appropriately matched conventional rehabilitation programmes could also help identify which patient groups benefit most.
Training and maintenance are essential
Advanced equipment is only useful when staff can operate it safely and the organisation can keep it functioning.
Antara will need continuing systems for:
- Therapist training
- Patient selection
- Emergency procedures
- Equipment cleaning
- Battery and mechanical maintenance
- Software updates
- Calibration
- Reporting adverse events
- Technical support
Staff should also understand when to stop or modify a session.
Pain, dizziness, abnormal fatigue, skin pressure or unsafe joint positioning must not be ignored simply to complete a predetermined walking programme.
A growing place for robotics in Indian rehabilitation
The arrival of the ExoAtlet II at Antara’s Bannerghatta centre is another sign that robotic rehabilitation is moving beyond research laboratories and into clinical care in India.
For selected patients, the system may enable a level of repetitive gait practice that would be difficult to deliver manually. It may also help people experience upright movement at a stage when independent walking remains impossible.
Its success, however, will depend on how the technology is integrated.
The most effective programme will combine specialist assessment, trained therapists, conventional exercise, orthotic management and functional practice. It will set realistic goals and measure whether gains continue outside the machine.
Robotic exoskeletons can create more opportunities to practise movement.
Rehabilitation professionals remain responsible for turning that practice into greater independence.
- Indian Pharma Post – Antara introduces robotic exoskeleton for rehabilitation
- Antara – Introducing ExoAtlet II at its Bengaluru facility
- Antara Care Homes
- Antara Bannerghatta rehabilitation centre
- World Health Organization – Rehabilitation
- World Health Organization India – Ageing
- Rehabilitation Council of India
- International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics