{"id":"2a44301b-b4af-4dd4-b631-be62dbcce746","slug":"rewalk-personal-exoskeleton-battery-waistpack-fire-recall-2020","kind":"recall","headline":"ReWalk (now Lifeward) recalls personal exoskeletons after battery waistpacks caught fire while charging","summary":"Two complaints (United States and Germany) alleged that the waistpack housing the lithium-ion batteries of ReWalk personal exoskeletons caught fire during charging. The recall covered ReWalk Personal 6.0, 5.0, and ReWalk R, all serial numbers. ReWalk Robotics (formerly Argo Medical Technologies) rebranded to Lifeward in 2024. Source: FDA Class 2 device recall Z-1553-2021 (350 units), accessdata.fda.gov.","occurredAt":"2020-02-28T00:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":"d59824bf-88ca-4eea-b027-88b11c7fdee3","deploymentId":"28a404b5-9f66-4176-bc97-0157d71d22bf","companyId":"4421900a-d71f-407e-a37c-ad1e3905e97f","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"serious","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":350,"affectedUnitsBasis":"exact","remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"recall_ordered","regulatoryBody":"FDA","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":2,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-06-27T09:38:44.771Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-09T05:24:01.599Z","model":{"id":"d59824bf-88ca-4eea-b027-88b11c7fdee3","companyId":"4421900a-d71f-407e-a37c-ad1e3905e97f","modelName":"ReWalk Personal 6.0","slug":"rewalk-personal-6","description":"ReWalk's Personal 6.0 is a powered lower-limb exoskeleton for individuals with spinal cord injury; servos at the hips and knees provide walking power, while accelerometers detect weight shifts to trigger each step. The onboard computer, sensors, and batteries are carried in a slimmed-down pack.","formFactor":"exoskeleton","industryVertical":null,"environment":null,"maturityStage":"commercial","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"class":"powered lower-limb exoskeleton","users":"spinal cord injury","runtime":"8 h","actuation":"hip + knee servos","weight_kg":25},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://spectrum.ieee.org/rewalk-robotics-new-exoskeleton-lets-paraplegic-stroll-the-streets-of-nyc","sourceName":"IEEE Spectrum / ReWalk"},{"url":"https://www.wevolver.com/specs/rewalk.personal.6","title":"ReWalk Personal 6","sourceName":"Wevolver"}],"aliases":["ReWalk Personal 6.0","ReWalk 6"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":"reverified 2026-06-09 (Kimi-incident remediation): cited primary source resolves and matches manufacturer/reputable domain; relevance adjudicated.","manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Type","value":"Personal exoskeleton for spinal cord injury"}],"createdAt":"2026-06-06T01:25:40.304Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-15T13:22:58.505Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":{"id":"28a404b5-9f66-4176-bc97-0157d71d22bf","modelId":"d59824bf-88ca-4eea-b027-88b11c7fdee3","versionId":null,"locationId":"c1051b93-f4e0-4483-80d0-e67d4737df1f","operatorId":"4421900a-d71f-407e-a37c-ad1e3905e97f","ownerId":null,"slug":"rewalk-personal-6-home-use-us","status":"operational","firstSeen":"2024-06-01T00:00:00.000Z","statusChangeReason":null,"contractType":null,"pilotOutcome":null,"endedAt":null,"unitsOnSite":null,"tasksPerformed":["autonomous_operation"],"shiftStructure":null,"hoursPerDay":8,"siteType":"urban","operatorConfirmed":false,"humanSupervisionOnsite":null,"locationPrecisionTier":"verified_coordinates","deploymentScale":"medium_11_100","siteEnvironment":"outdoor","operatorType":"maker_operated","sourceQualityTier":2,"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://rewalk.com/","title":"ReWalk","date_accessed":"2026-06-07"},{"url":"https://ir.rewalk.com/news-releases/news-release-details/department-veterans-affairs-purchases-20-rewalk-systems-support","title":"Department of Veterans Affairs Purchases 20 ReWalk Systems","retrievedAt":"2026-06-27T12:00:00Z"},{"url":"https://rewalk.com/blog/u-s-department-of-veterans-affairs-expands-access-to-rewalk-exoskeletons-for-paralyzed-veterans-with-revised-national-policy/","title":"U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Expands Access to ReWalk Exoskeletons","retrievedAt":"2026-06-27T12:00:00Z"}],"notes":"ReWalk Personal 6.0 exoskeleton home-use deployments across US. FDA-cleared for spinal cord injury patients at home and community.","keyFacts":[{"label":"Fleet","value":"ReWalk Personal 6.0 exoskeleton"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"Home-use deployments across US"},{"label":"Use Case","value":"Spinal cord injury patients at home and community"},{"label":"Regulatory","value":"FDA-cleared"}],"reviewNote":null,"exposureHours":null,"deploymentMilesEstimate":null,"exposureBasis":null,"customerSegment":"research","scaleTier":"commercial_10_99","contractValueUsd":null,"contractValueBasis":null,"customerCompanyId":null,"customerExternalName":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-07T22:54:26.859Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T14:21:33.821Z"},"company":{"id":"4421900a-d71f-407e-a37c-ad1e3905e97f","name":"Lifeward","slug":"lifeward","description":"Lifeward (formerly [Rewalk robotics](/companies/rewalk-robotics), Nasdaq: LFWD) is an Israeli-American medical device company founded in 2001 by Dr. Amit Goffer, a quadriplegic inventor who developed the exoskeleton after an ATV accident. The company designs and commercializes powered exoskeleton systems for individuals with spinal cord injury, including the ReWalk 7 Personal Exoskeleton (FDA-cleared March 2025) and the ReWalk Personal 6.0. Lifeward's portfolio also includes the AlterG Anti-Gravity System, ReStore Exo-Suit, and MyoCycle FES System, with operations in the US, Israel, and Germany.","status":"public (NASDAQ: LFWD; formerly ReWalk Robotics, RWLK)","founded":2001,"hq":"Marlborough, MA, USA / Yokneam Ilit, Israel","hqLat":null,"hqLng":null,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T00:51:10.902Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"alterg.com","fundingTotal":null,"type":"hardware","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://ir.rewalk.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rewalk-robotics-transforms-company-identity-rebrands-lifeward","title":"Lifeward","sourceName":"Lifeward (primary)"},{"url":"https://golifeward.com/blog/rewalk-personal-exoskeleton-system-clearned-fda-home-use/","title":"ReWalk Personal 6.0 FDA home-use","sourceName":"Lifeward (primary)"},{"url":"https://ir.rewalk.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lifeward-names-mark-grant-new-ceo","label":"Lifeward Names Mark Grant as New CEO","title":"Lifeward Names Mark Grant as New CEO","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"Lifeward (official IR)"},{"url":"https://golifeward.com/blog/lifeward-launches-sales-of-the-rewalk-7-personal-exoskeleton-in-u-s-market/","label":"Lifeward Launches Sales of the ReWalk 7 Personal Exoskeleton in U.S. Market","title":"Lifeward Launches Sales of the ReWalk 7 Personal Exoskeleton in U.S. Market","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"Lifeward (official)"},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1607962/000117891325000736/zk2532799.htm","label":"Lifeward Ltd. SEC Filing 2025","title":"Lifeward Ltd. SEC Filing 2025","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"SEC EDGAR"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"CEO","value":"Mark Grant (since June 2025)"},{"label":"Previous CEO","value":"Larry Jasinski"},{"label":"CFO","value":"Mike Lawless"},{"label":"Founder","value":"Dr. Amit Goffer (deceased) — quadriplegic Israeli inventor"},{"label":"Ticker","value":"NASDAQ: LFWD"},{"label":"Revenue 2024","value":"Approximately 25.3 million USD"},{"label":"Units deployed","value":"131 rehabilitation units + 689 personal exoskeleton units (as of Dec 2024)"},{"label":"FDA clearance","value":"ReWalk 7 cleared March 2025; first FDA-cleared exoskeleton in 2014"},{"label":"Medicare","value":"CMS reimbursement pathway established 2024"},{"label":"Operations","value":"United States, Israel, Germany"},{"label":"Product portfolio","value":"ReWalk 7, ReWalk Personal 6.0, AlterG Anti-Gravity, ReStore Exo-Suit, MyoCycle FES"}],"aliases":["ReWalk Robotics","ReWalk"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":"LFWD","stockExchange":"NASDAQ","secCik":"0001607962","revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-06T01:25:37.810Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T22:24:00.932Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"e7ee9617-8514-4442-a856-dd419eaef841","incidentId":"2a44301b-b4af-4dd4-b631-be62dbcce746","url":"https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfres/res.cfm?start_search=1&firmlegalnam=ReWalk&postdatefrom=01/01/2019&postdateto=12/31/2026","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"FDA Recalls — ReWalk/Lifeward","sourceName":"FDA","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-22T01:56:25.966Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T01:56:25.966Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/rewalk-personal-exoskeleton-battery-waistpack-fire-recall-2020","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/rewalk-personal-exoskeleton-battery-waistpack-fire-recall-2020","headline":"ReWalk (now Lifeward) recalls personal exoskeletons after battery waistpacks caught fire while charging","description":"Two complaints (United States and Germany) alleged that the waistpack housing the lithium-ion batteries of ReWalk personal exoskeletons caught fire during charging. The recall covered ReWalk Personal 6.0, 5.0, and ReWalk R, all serial numbers. ReWalk Robotics (formerly Argo Medical Technologies) rebranded to Lifeward in 2024. Source: FDA Class 2 device recall Z-1553-2021 (350 units), accessdata.fda.gov.","identifier":"2a44301b-b4af-4dd4-b631-be62dbcce746","datePublished":"2020-02-28T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"recall","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":1,"primary_source_types":["primary-fda-database"]}}}