Artificial intelligence and smart robotics are rapidly changing the future of rehabilitation, with experts and technology companies highlighting how exoskeletons, intelligent rehabilitation systems and data-driven therapy platforms could help address rising global demand for recovery services.
A report published by People’s Daily Online, based on China Daily coverage, described how Chinese technology companies are targeting opportunities in the global rehabilitation sector as AI and robotics gain recognition in clinical and community care. The discussion took place around the Global Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology Network Summit 2026, held in Shanghai on 13 May 2026, where companies and experts showcased real-world applications for advanced rehabilitation technologies.
For the IMEA region, the development is highly relevant. Many countries across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia face growing rehabilitation demand linked to stroke, trauma, ageing, diabetes, conflict injuries, neurological conditions and limited access to specialist therapists. Robotics and AI will not replace clinicians, but they may help expand therapy capacity, improve consistency and support more structured rehabilitation beyond major hospitals.
Professor Robert Riener of ETH Zurich, a specialist in sensory-motor systems, said advanced technologies have particular potential in conditions with high rehabilitation demand. He noted that large neural networks, deep learning systems and patient data could help monitor physiological status, social behaviour and sleep-wake rhythms, while AI may help predict symptoms or disease risks.
Stroke was highlighted as one of the clearest areas of need. Stroke survivors may experience hemiplegia, weakness, impaired balance, upper-limb dysfunction and reduced walking ability. In many health systems, rehabilitation demand exceeds therapist availability, and patients may not receive the intensity or duration of therapy needed for maximum recovery. Intelligent rehabilitation robots, exoskeletons and sensor-based therapy systems could help increase repetition, feedback and monitoring in these pathways.
One company featured in the report was Fourier Rehab, the rehabilitation technology arm of Fourier. The company develops exoskeletons and rehabilitation robotics and says its goal is to support positive clinical outcomes for both therapists and patients through advanced rehabilitation solutions. Fourier’s wider platform includes rehabilitation systems and humanoid robotics, positioning the company within China’s fast-expanding robotics sector.
According to the People’s Daily report, Fourier was founded in 2015 and has expanded from exoskeleton robots into a broader portfolio of humanoid robots and intelligent rehabilitation systems. Its products are now used in more than 2,000 institutions across 40 countries, including hospitals, community settings and other environments. Owen Teoh, managing director of Fourier Rehab’s international division, said overseas demand has grown quickly, with sales doubling in 2025 compared with 2024.
For O&P and rehabilitation professionals, the most important shift is not simply the introduction of new machines. It is the movement from single robotic products toward integrated rehabilitation solutions. Teoh described a transition from passive systems to more active “embodied intelligence”, and from hospital-based use toward broader access in community and home environments.
This matters for countries where rehabilitation services are concentrated in major cities. If intelligent rehabilitation platforms can eventually support remote monitoring, home-based exercise, community therapy and structured patient feedback, they could help reduce some barriers faced by patients who cannot travel regularly to tertiary hospitals. However, access will depend on affordability, training, maintenance, connectivity and local service models.
The concept of embodied intelligence is especially important. Professor Jose Luis Pons, who leads research on measuring and restoring lower-limb function at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, said the major breakthrough will come when intelligence can be embodied within robotic systems. He clarified that this does not mean replacing therapists with autonomous agents, but using AI techniques to embed rehabilitation principles into collaborative technologies that work alongside human experts.
That distinction is critical for the IMEA rehabilitation sector. Robotics should not be viewed as a substitute for rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, prosthetists or orthotists. Instead, the strongest opportunity lies in systems that support clinical decision-making, deliver repeatable therapy, measure progress and help clinicians personalise treatment.
Fourier also emphasised human-robot interaction. The company described its rehabilitation robots as “warm-hearted”, noting that force-feedback technologies can sense a patient’s muscle strength and provide assistance accordingly. Game design and user experience are also being used to make therapy more engaging and responsive to patient needs.
For prosthetics and orthotics, these developments connect directly with several emerging priorities. Robotic rehabilitation may support gait training after lower-limb amputation, balance recovery after neurological injury, upper-limb training for stroke survivors, and post-operative therapy following complex orthopaedic procedures. Combined with wearable sensors, AI and digital patient records, such systems could also help document outcomes more effectively.
The implications for IMEA are significant:
However, the sector must remain realistic. Advanced rehabilitation robotics can be expensive, and many healthcare systems still struggle with basic access to physiotherapy, prosthetics, orthotics, wheelchairs and assistive devices. For IMEA countries, the priority should be to integrate smart rehabilitation technology into service models that are clinically useful, financially sustainable and accessible to patients who need them most.
The growing global recognition of Chinese rehabilitation robotics also reflects a wider manufacturing shift. China’s robotics industry is increasingly moving from industrial automation into healthcare, eldercare, rehabilitation and assistive technology. The World Intellectual Property Organization has profiled Fourier’s evolution from rehabilitation robotics toward broader humanoid healthcare robotics, noting its focus on helping patients stand, supporting stroke survivors and restoring independence.
For IMEA CPO readers, the key message is that AI and robotics are becoming part of mainstream rehabilitation planning. The question is no longer whether these technologies will influence the sector, but how they can be deployed responsibly in systems with very different levels of infrastructure, funding and workforce availability.
Smart robotics may offer powerful tools for the future of rehabilitation. But their success will depend on how well they serve patients, support clinicians and fit into real-world care pathways. In the IMEA region, the greatest opportunity may be using these technologies not as prestige equipment, but as part of practical, scalable solutions for stroke recovery, amputee rehabilitation, neurological care and long-term mobility support.