Vilje Bionics

What Vilje Bionics does

Vilje Bionics AS is a Norwegian medical device company developing VilPower, described as the world's first motorized orthosis providing full-arm assistive support across the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and grip. The device weighs 1.9 kg and uses proprietary non-invasive movement detection technology that recognizes residual user movements and amplifies them to enable natural arm function, without requiring implants or skin-contact sensors. The product is custom-fitted to each user as a personalized orthopedic aid, with specific adaptations for users suffering from spasticity—a common complication among stroke survivors. The underlying technology was originally conceptualized at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) by Professor Terje Lien for his brother Mangor, who had ALS, before being commercialized by three NTNU students.

The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and operates with a multidisciplinary team of approximately 9 employees spanning robotics engineering, product design, occupational therapy, and business development. Vilje Bionics is pre-commercial, with formal launch of VilPower planned for 2025. Its go-to-market is built on enterprise clinical partnerships: Blatchford Ortopedi AS, Norway's largest orthopedic engineering company, handles distribution and fitting through orthopedic clinics, while Sunnaas Hospital—Norway's leading specialist hospital in physical medicine and rehabilitation—provides testing and validation through its testbed innovation program. Revenue is generated through custom hardware sales of the VilPower device, with pricing not publicly disclosed and structured as personalized, quote-based arrangements delivered through clinical channels.

The company's primary customer segment is stroke survivors, citing that statistically 1 in 4 people are affected by stroke during their lifetime. Secondary target segments include individuals with broader motor impairments from neurological conditions, with a future concept pipeline for ALS and progressive neurological conditions. To date, Vilje Bionics has secured approximately 3.975 million NOK (~$375K USD) in non-dilutive grant funding from Innovation Norway and an undisclosed investment from Nordic Ignite, alongside support from Aleap, Stiftelsen DAM, and Oslo Kommune. The founding team includes PhD specialists in cybernetics and biomaterials, and engineers with prior experience at Hocoma AG, DLR, and Webasto GmbH—organizations recognized in rehabilitation robotics and advanced engineering.

Name

Vilje Bionics

Legal name

Vilje Bionics AS

Website

https://viljebionics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vilje Bionics is a Norwegian medical device company developing VilPower, a motorized orthosis that provides full-arm assistive support for stroke survivors and individuals with motor impairments using proprietary non-invasive movement detection technology, with commercial launch planned for 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rehabilitation Robotics

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Rehabilitation Therapy Equipment (PT/OT Modalities, Exercise & Balance Devices) (HLAHAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Orthotics & Bracing (Spinal/Lower/Upper Extremity Orthoses) (HLAHAEAI), Prosthetics/Orthotics Rehab & Amputee Rehabilitation (HSADAIAN)

Keywords

• Robotic exoskeletons
• Motorized arm orthosis
• Assistive rehabilitation devices
• Stroke recovery technology
• Medical robotics hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. VilPower Orthosis Device Sales: VilPower orthosis is delivered as a personalized orthopedic aid. Each unit is custom-fitted and adapted to individual users through orthopedic clinic partnerships. Revenue is generated through device sales to end users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vilje Bionics develops and sells VilPower, described as the world's first motorized orthosis for the entire arm. The device supports shoulder, elbow, wrist, and grip simultaneously and uses proprietary non-invasive technology that detects residual user movements and amplifies them to enable natural everyday arm function. Each unit is custom-fitted to the individual user in collaboration with orthopedic clinics and is targeted primarily at stroke survivors and people with other neurological impairments affecting arm function.

Product overview

Vilje Bionics offers a single unified product: VilPower, the world's first motorized orthosis for the entire arm. This assistive device supports all major arm joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist, and grip) using proprietary technology that recognizes and amplifies residual user movements without invasive sensors. The product is custom-fitted to each user as a personalized orthopedic aid, designed for individuals with reduced arm functionality due to stroke or other neurological conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VilPower: World's first motorized orthosis for the entire arm, providing support for shoulder, elbow, wrist, and grip functions for people with reduced arm functionality.

Products and services

• VilPower World's first motorized orthosis for the entire arm, providing simultaneous support for shoulder, elbow, wrist, and grip movements. It uses Vilje's proprietary non-invasive movement recognition technology to detect residual user movements and amplify them, enabling people with impaired arm function (primarily stroke survivors and individuals with neurological conditions) to perform everyday activities independently. The device weighs 1.9 kg, can be donned and doffed independently, is adapted to users with spasticity, and is custom-fitted to each user as a personalized orthopedic aid through orthopedic clinic partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 4 people affected by stroke during lifetime - large addressable market
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Blatchford Ortopedi ASflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Blatchford Ortopedi AS, Norway's largest orthopedic engineering company, is a strategic partner for Vilje Bionics. They have been collaborating with Vilje for over a year with positive experiences through bidirectional knowledge sharing. They are responsible for fitting and distributing VilPower through their orthopedic clinics.
• Sunnaas HospitalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Sunnaas Hospital HF, Norway's leading specialist hospital in physical medicine and rehabilitation, partners with Vilje Bionics through their testbed innovation program. They collaborate with companies developing future-oriented products for patients, testing and validating VilPower for stroke survivors and other patient groups.
• NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)coreOthersVilPower originated as a concept developed by NTNU Professor Terje Lien and his brother Mangor. Vilje Bionics was started by 3 NTNU students based on this work. The company maintains connections to NTNU for research and talent.
• Oslo Kommune (City of Oslo)minorOthersListed as a supporter and collaboration partner of Vilje Bionics.
• AleapminorOthersListed as a supporter of Vilje Bionics. Aleap is a health startup incubator in Norway.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Myomo: Myomo develops and markets the MyoPro line of powered orthoses for the arm, the closest direct competitor to VilPower. Both companies sell motorized, non-invasive arm orthoses targeting stroke survivors and other neurological impairment, and both pursue clinic-based fitting and reimbursement pathways.

Emerging players

• Saebo: Saebo supplies upper-limb rehabilitation devices (SaeboFlex, SaeboGlove) widely used by stroke survivors and therapists globally. While non-powered, it is the most common existing low-cost arm aid Vilje explicitly differentiates against in stroke rehab.
• Tyromotion: Tyromotion provides a portfolio of robotic and sensor-based upper-limb rehabilitation devices (e.g., Diego, Pablo) used in clinics across Europe. It is an emerging player with overlapping neurorehab clinical channels.
• Bionik Laboratories: Bionik Laboratories commercializes the InMotion ARM robotic therapy system for upper-limb rehabilitation in clinical settings. It overlaps with VilPower's clinical rehabilitation use case but is positioned as clinic-installed equipment rather than a wearable personal device.

Others

• Blatchford Group: Blatchford (parent of Blatchford Ortopedi AS) is a global orthotic and prosthetic manufacturer and Vilje's distribution partner. Comparable as the channel through which VilPower reaches clinics, and a benchmark for global orthotic commercialization economics.

Broad incumbents

• Ottobock: Ottobock is the world's largest orthopedic technology company, with a comprehensive orthotics, prosthetics, and exoskeleton portfolio. As Blatchford Ortopedi's global peer, Ottobock is the natural broad incumbent benchmark for clinic-distributed orthotic devices.
• Cyberdyne: Cyberdyne develops the HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) exoskeleton suite, including upper-limb variants. It is a publicly-listed incumbent in wearable robotic assistive technology targeting neurorehabilitation.
• ReWalk Robotics: ReWalk is a wearable exoskeleton company primarily known for lower-limb gait assistance for spinal cord injury, but operates in the same regulated wearable robotic medical device space and competes for similar reimbursement and clinical validation resources.
• Ekso Bionics: Ekso Bionics is an established exoskeleton company (historically focused on lower-limb and stroke gait rehabilitation). It is a broad incumbent in the wearable robotic rehab space and represents a likely competitive entrant into upper-limb motorized orthoses.
• Hocoma AG: Hocoma is a global leader in sensor-based rehabilitation technology (Lokomat, Armeo). Vilje's own team includes engineers who previously worked at Hocoma, and Hocoma's Armeo product line is the most established upper-limb rehab device in clinics—making it the closest incumbent competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ViljeBionics
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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vilje Bionics