Interview With TOM ILLAUER

Conducted: Jan, 2024

1. ExR: How and when did you discover exoskeleton technology?

Tom: I was Chief Marketing Officer at Germany's largest medical supply retailer. Sebastian and I worked there together for 4 years. As a master orthopaedic technician, he was in charge of purchasing for orthopaedics and built up the medical exoskeleton division there. It was at this company that I had the opportunity to test the Rewalk for the first time. A 33-year-old patient tested the device after a motorcycle accident. We filmed everything with a drone, his family was there and everyone had tears in their eyes. However, the patient was not interested in walking as such, but in being able to see eye-to-eye with his wife again.

Tom: I was Chief Marketing Officer at Germany's largest medical supply retailer. Sebastian and I worked there together for 4 years. As a master orthopaedic technician, he was in charge of purchasing for orthopaedics and built up the medical exoskeleton division there. It was at this company that I had the opportunity to test the Rewalk for the first time. A 33-year-old patient tested the device after a motorcycle accident. We filmed everything with a drone, his family was there and everyone had tears in their eyes. However, the patient was not interested in walking as such, but in being able to see eye-to-eye with his wife again...