A new crop of entrepreneurs are making Iran a hub for hardware development, drawing on the country’s deep pool of mechanical and electrical engineering talent.
Iran’s burgeoning startup ecosystem has enjoyed extensive international attention over the last few years, but the focus has remained almost exclusively on app developers and software creators. Behind the scenes, a crop of inventors and engineers have been launching new companies that seek to bring “made in Iran” into the 21st century.
One such company is Pedasys, which was founded in 2013 by a group of researchers from Tehran University, Sharif University of Technology, and Tarbiat Modares University. In 2015, the group was accepted into SATI, Sharif University’s prestigious technology incubator.
The company has designed and manufactured a lower-body exoskeleton called Exoped, which is currently being trialled in clinical settings around Iran. The robotics in Exoped allow paraplegic or elderly individuals who are lower-limb disabled to walk, helping these individuals break free of the limitations of wheelchairs.