Hospitals & Care

Buying advice

Split clinical suppliers from consumer brands

This page puts rehabilitation systems from specialist makers such as Hocoma, Tyromotion and Ekso Bionics beside consumer companions and toys such as Furby Connect, Zoomer Kitty and Anki Vector. The two groups are sold through different channels and backed by different promises. Specialist makers usually sell to providers under service contracts with clinical documentation, while consumer brands write their warranties for households. Before a care home buys a consumer robot for residents, ask the maker whether shared, all-day use in a care setting is covered at all, and get the answer in writing. Our October 2026 pass found that the 38 listings carrying a published price ranged from about $30 for the Chippies up to about $250,000 for the Lokomat (Hocoma), and four of the 42 listings asked for a quote instead.

Check the quality certificate behind the device

For any robot sold with a medical purpose, ask the maker for its ISO 13485:2016 certificate, the quality management standard for organizations that design, produce, install and service medical devices. Read the certificate rather than the logo. Its scope should name the site that builds your device and the activities covered, including servicing, and it should come from a recognized certification body. A distributor's certificate does not replace the manufacturer's own. If a maker cannot produce one, ask how it meets the quality expectations of the regulator in your market before you go any further.

Plan servicing and safety evidence for care robots

A gait trainer that sits broken cancels therapy sessions, so service logistics matter as much as the purchase. Ask whether the maker employs service engineers in your country or works through a distributor, how quickly a technician can reach you and whether a loan unit is supplied during long repairs. For assistive wearables and care robots that are not medical devices, ISO 13482:2014 sets safety requirements for personal care robots, including physical assistant robots. Ask which models were assessed against it and by whom, and request the report before staff start using them.

What to look for

• Medical device approvals in your market, if the robot makes clinical claims
• Cleaning and infection-control guidance from the maker
• Training and support for clinical and care staff

Common questions

Are these robots approved medical devices?

Some are and some are not. Check each listing and ask the maker for approvals in your country, especially for rehabilitation and therapy robots.

Can care homes lease these robots?

Many can. THG Flex covers leasing, subscriptions and paid pilots, which suits care providers trialling robots on one ward first.

Sources and further reading

• ISO 13485:2016 Medical devices: Quality management systems — International Organization for Standardization.
  The quality standard for medical device makers, covering design, production, installation and servicing.
• ISO 13482:2014 Safety requirements for personal care robots — International Organization for Standardization.
  Safety requirements for mobile servant, physical assistant and person carrier robots used in personal care.