Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T06:57:46.855Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Walk tall: The story of Rex Bionics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2018

Christine Woods ,
Lisa Callagher Open the ORCID record for Lisa Callagher [Opens in a new window]  and
Tim Jaffray
Christine Woods
Affiliation:
Management and International Business Department, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Lisa Callagher*
Affiliation:
Management and International Business Department, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Tim Jaffray
Affiliation:
Management and International Business Department, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Executive summary

Walk tall: The story of REX Bionics is about the key decisions faced by the founders Richard Little and Robert (Robbie) Irving to commercialise a ‘walking skeleton’ for people who are wheelchair-bound for extended periods. The changing role of the founders in a technology-based business and the interplay between the founders’ vision and the reality of growing technology-based businesses is the focus. The history of REX Bionics lies in the founders’ first-hand experiences with people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Over 15 years the company evolved from a ‘workshop idea’ in a garage to public listing on the London AIM Stock Exchange. Facing multiple institutional hurdles, rapidly moving technology and high start-up costs, REX Bionics successfully commercialised the walking robotic exoskeleton inspirited by the ‘Power Load’ in the movie Aliens. Little and Irving faced some tough choices about which commercialisation pathways to pursue in the light of diverse perspectives from the board of directors, an advisory board, various investors to their personal mission.

Keywords

country or area studiesNew Zealandentrepreneurshipinnovation and R&Dsmall and medium-sized enterprisesresearch methodsqualitative methodscase study
Type
Case Study
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , March 2021 , pp. 239 - 252
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2018

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cudby, K. (2011). Liberty autonomy independence. Engineering Insight, 12(1), 8–14.Google Scholar
Dilokthornsakul, P., Valuck, R. J., Nair, K. V., Corboy, J. R., Allen, R. R., & Campbell, J. D. (2016). Multiple sclerosis prevalence in the United States commercially insured population. Neurology, 86(11), 1014–1021.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Little, R. (2014). REX Bionics [Face-to-face interview].Google Scholar
McFadden, S. (2010). The long walk to success for NZ robot leg makers. New Zealand Herald.Google Scholar
Reeve Foundation. (2013). Paralysis statistics. Retrieved December 5, 2017, from https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/stats-about-paralysis Google Scholar
Rex Bionics. (2011). NZ paralympian steps up with rex bionics and walks again (Press Release). Retrieved December 5, 2017, from http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1105/S00006/nz-paralympian-steps-up-with-rex-bionics-and-walks-again.htm Google Scholar
Rotherham, F. (2015). Rex Bionics deepens full-year loss as commercialisation costs rise. The National Business Review. Retrieved from https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/rex-bionics-deepens-full-year-loss-commercialisation-costs-rise-bd-169565 Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Woods et al. supplementary material

Woods et al. supplementary material
Download Woods et al. supplementary material(File)
File 29.6 KB