© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Although the aspects of physical support for patients with lower-limb sensory motor paralysis during walk rehabilitation are well studied, it is also important to consider the social factors which may affect them during gait training. In this study, we propose a robotic platform able to autonomously accompany users while providing social assistance by using an anthropomorphic interface on the front side. The developed mobile platform is based on a weight-support device and is capable to move in accordance with the users’ gait speed and to acquire information such as step-length, step-width and cadence, which can be used further to monitor their progress during the task. The non-verbal interaction provided by the anthropomorphic robot is done by head and hand movement which is remotely controlled during the exercise. Experiments indicate that the platform can adapt to the walking pattern of participants in a similar manner as a therapist does. Furthermore, assessment from questionnaires shows improvements in the participants’ feeling of comfort, independence and motivation in the scenario with the social robot.