Cosplayer Walks as Ne Zha with Exoskeleton Assist

At the 21st China International Cartoon and Animation Festival, (May 29-June 02, 2025) held in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, an animation fan with lower-body paralysis delighted the crowd by cosplaying as Ne Zha, a beloved mythical hero known for defying limits. 

Instead of riding on flaming wheels, she walked upright with the aid of an exoskeleton suit. 

"To stand here today, blending technology with imagination, is pure joy", she said as reported by CCTV on June 04. 

According to a representative of the company that developed the product, the exoskeleton is designed for people with lower-limb mobility impairments. By leveraging the principle of neuroplasticity, it helps alleviate muscle atrophy through repeated movement, said the report. 

A number of top scenic sites in China have deployed AI-enhanced exoskeleton robots to assist tourists, the Global Times reported in February, in another sign of rapid advancement in China's robotics industry. 

Women's doubles Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan made a spectacular comeback in the Indonesia Open semi-final today. 

The world No. 4 Malaysian pair battled from a game down to beat China's world No. 6 Li Yi Jing-Luo Xu Min 12-21, 21-17, 21-11. 

Pearly-Thinaah will meet either China's world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning or South Korean world No. 3 Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee in the final tomorrow.