Dephy, Inc.

Dephy, Inc. builds powered ankle wearables. Its current product is the Sidekick, a battery-powered ankle exoskeleton paired with a shoe that adds torque at the ankle during walking. The company’s shop page lists the Sidekick Starter Pack at $4,500, a net weight of 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) per side including battery, a 1.5 hour charge time and a range of up to 5 miles per charge at Power Level II. The device is TÜV certified to ISO 13482, the safety standard for personal care robots, per the company’s August 6, 2026 release.

Background and ownership

Exoskeleton Report records that Dephy was founded in 2016 in Maynard, Massachusetts, and that its earlier ExoBoot was a powered ankle exoskeleton for military and research use. Co-founders are Luke Mooney, the CEO, and Hugh Herr of the MIT Media Lab, per the company’s about page. The company’s August 2026 release is datelined Boxborough, Massachusetts; its website lists no street address. Dephy is privately held and does not publish revenue, headcount or funding.

Recent moves

On October 23, 2025 Nike named Dephy its robotics partner on Project Amplify, a powered footwear system for running and walking that Nike says is still in testing ahead of a consumer launch “in the coming years.” Dephy showed the Sidekick at CES in January 2026, where Engadget reported the $4,500 price. On August 6, 2026 the company added a second Sidekick shoe for standard-to-wide feet, extending sizing from women’s 4 to men’s 16.