ATOUN Model Y

~$4,000 – $4,700 (¥600,000 – ¥700,000)Original price when sold was ¥600,000 to ¥700,000 before tax depending on configuration, with monthly rental also offered, as reported by Robot Start in 2019; it has not been sold new since ATOUN was dissolved in 2022.

Discontinued · unavailableButtons onlyBack & hip exoskeleton4.5 kg10 kgf assistDiscontinued 2022

UnavailableNot sold new since ATOUN was dissolved in April 2022; only used units turn up on resale sites, and existing owners get service from Advance Co. Exoskeleton Report ↗

Control: Not possible. On-device switch only.

Exoskeleton Report on the dissolution ↗Launch press release (Japanese) ↗Robot Start on JAL (Japanese) ↗Archived official site ↗

Overview

The ATOUN Model Y was a powered back-assist exoskeleton from ATOUN, a Nara company with roots in Panasonic's ActiveLink exoskeleton work, launched in April 2018 at 4.4 to 4.5 kg, about 40% lighter than its Model A predecessor. Hip motors gave up to 10 kgf of lift assist, with automatic modes that switched off the motors for walking and braked the trunk when lowering, and it was IP55 rated for outdoor work. Its best-known user was JAL Ground Service, which put 20 units to work handling baggage at Haneda and Narita from February 2019, and ATOUN had over 200 orders within its first year. A Model Y +kote version (AWN-32) added a wire-driven arm assist for holding boxes. ATOUN was dissolved at the end of April 2022 and liquidated in July 2022, so the Model Y is no longer sold, with after-sales service moved to Advance Co. It was the only ATOUN design to reach real sales, unlike the full-body Power Loader.

Specifications

Category	Exoskeletons & exosuits · Industrial & work
Released	2018
Country	Japan
Availability	Discontinued · unavailable
Sales	Over 200 units ordered in the first year after the April 2018 launch, including 20 for JAL Ground Service. (estimate) Robot Start ↗
Programmability	No programmability
Built-in autonomy	Reactive · Responds to its surroundings without a map, such as avoiding obstacles or following a person
LLM support	None · No voice assistant or LLM.
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	Brushless / direct-drive motors
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Proprietary / undisclosed
Control	Buttons only
Weight	4.5 kg (with battery)
Assistance	Two independently controlled hip motors give up to 10 kgf of lifting assist, with automatic lift, walk (motors off) and brake modes that ease the wearer down when lowering a load.
Joints	Back & hips
Battery & runtime	Lithium-ion battery, about 4 hours per charge, 1.5 hours to recharge.
Operation	Switch on and go; sensors pick the lift, walk or brake mode automatically, and the +kote version adds a fingertip switch for arm assist.
Sensors	Angle sensors that track trunk movement to estimate the wearer's intent.
Compute	Not published
SDK	None