Kessler Foundation and UPnRIDE Launch Research Initiative to Advance What’s Possible for People with Disabilities

Research collaboration will further advance the capabilities, functionality, and real-world user experience of UPnRIDE’s upright mobility platform

WEST ORANGE, N.J., Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UPnRIDE, the FDA-cleared upright mobility platform, today announced a research collaboration with Kessler Foundation and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation to further explore how innovative mobility technology can expand what is possible for people with disabilities.

The study is examining real-world utilization, usability, function, and user experience of UPnRIDE among Kessler patients, building on the platform’s extensive validation and body of real-world experience. The research will help advance understanding of what people with disabilities can do when they can move while standing upright in their everyday lives.

“Kessler Foundation is one of the most respected names in rehabilitation research, and this collaboration is an important vote of confidence in UPnRIDE and the possibilities that upright mobility can unlock,” said Lea Waisman Shaler, CEO of UPnRIDE. “We’ve seen firsthand how standing mobility can improve quality of life, encouraging people to participate, connect with others, build self-esteem, and feel better. This collaboration is about pushing those possibilities further for more people with disabilities.”

UPnRIDE enables users to move independently while standing, indoors and outdoors, bringing mobility beyond the traditional boundaries of the wheelchair and the clinic. Early users have reported standing every day, increased confidence moving while upright, use in work and community settings, and high satisfaction.

“Kessler Foundation is committed to advancing rehabilitation research that translates into meaningful improvements in the lives of people with disabilities,” said Karen Nolan, PhD, associate director in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering, and director of the Acquired Brain Injury Mobility Laboratory at Kessler Foundation. “Our collaboration with UPnRIDE gives us an opportunity to study how an innovative mobility platform is experienced and used in real-world settings. We are excited to explore not only how the technology functions, but what it can make possible for the people who use it,” Nolan added.

The collaboration comes as UPnRIDE expands its U.S. presence and works to make upright mobility available to more people worldwide. With FDA clearance and multiple validation efforts already behind the platform, the company is focused on the next frontier: expanding the capabilities, experiences, quality of life, and opportunities available to people with disabilities.

“UPnRIDE is more than a rehabilitation and mobility device. It is a life changer,” said Dr. Hagay Amir, orthopedic surgeon and former Director of Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital. “Beyond the health benefits of enabling people with disabilities to stand – including improved blood circulation and respiratory function, reduced risk of pneumonia, reduced risk of urinary tract infections, and many others – the UPnRIDE technology transforms the lives of people with mobility impairments.”

To see UPnRIDE in action with real patients, click here.

About UPnRIDE
UPnRIDE is a self-balancing upright mobility platform designed to enable people with significant mobility limitations to stand and move independently, both indoors and outdoors. The FDA-cleared platform represents a new category of upright mobility, combining mobility while standing in a single device. UPnRIDE was invented by Dr. Amit Goffer, founder and inventor of ReWalk. For more information, visit upnride.com.

About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, founded in 1985, is a New Jersey-based nonprofit and global leader in rehabilitation research committed to changing the lives of people with disabilities. By conducting groundbreaking research, Kessler Foundation advances recovery and fosters independence to build a more inclusive and accessible world.

The Foundation’s award-winning scientists develop and test novel interventions to transform care and optimize mobility, cognition, and quality of life for people with traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, autism, and other neurological and developmental disabilities. By analyzing community and workforce participation and developing evidence-based solutions, Kessler Foundation also addresses barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities.

Powered by a dedicated team of over 175 professionals funded by federal and state grants and private philanthropy, Kessler Foundation is redefining what is possible in rehabilitation care and recovery. For more information, visit kesslerfoundation.org.

Press Contact at UPnRIDE:
Sharon Golubchik, RAYNZ, sharon@raynzhealth.com

Press Contact at Kessler Foundation:
Carmen Cusido, ccusido@kesslerfoundation.org