Wandercraft Showcases First Self-Balancing Exoskeleton at 2024 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Torch Relay
New York, New York (August 28, 2024) -- Wandercraft, pioneer in developing AI-powered walking exoskeletons, showcased its groundbreaking Personal Exoskeleton prototype during the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay.* Following Kevin Piette’s historic walk in the 2024 Olympic Torch Relay, today is the world’s first public demonstration of the device for people with tetraplegia (quadriplegia).
Thibault Simon, brother of Wandercraft co-founder Nicolas Simon and inspiration for the device, piloted the exoskeleton during today’s route of the Paralympic Torch Relay, carrying the flame on its way to the 2024 Paralympic Opening Ceremony.
The Personal Exoskeleton is designed to restore mobility and features a revolutionary self-balancing capability, allowing users to walk with a wide range of motion without assistive devices.
“Wandercraft has spent more than a decade developing an advanced exoskeleton that incorporates AI to mimic human movement, said Matthieu Masselin, Wandercraft CEO. "Our device's self-balancing feature is a game-changer, designed to provide unprecedented ability to stand and walk to wheelchair users everywhere."
Founded 12 years ago by Nicolas Simon, Matthieu Masselin, and Jean-Louis Constanza, Wandercraft’s mission was born from a deeply personal experience. The three engineers were inspired by Nicolas’ brother Thibault and Jean-Louis’ son Oscar, who both suffer from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare condition that severely impacts mobility over time.
Witnessing the mobility impairments of their family members ignited a determination to harness cutting-edge science and technology to transform lives. The result is the Personal Exoskeleton, a marvel of engineering that features 12 degrees of freedom, 12 motors, and an array of sensors to combine calculated optimal movements, maintaining stability and enhancing mobility for its users.
"Walking with the flame today, without any pain or difficulties, was so easy" said Thibault Simon. “I'm so proud of the work done by my brother and the whole Wandercraft team to enable people to walk again, and ultimately have an easier life because of the exoskeleton. The goal is for it to help anyone living with a mobility disability."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, and more than 300,000 are living with traumatic spinal cord injuries. The need for advanced mobility solutions is more critical than ever.
In a significant breakthrough for accessibility in the U.S., Medicare established a reimbursement pathway for eligible Medicare beneficiaries to access FDA-approved personal exoskeleton devices.
This milestone was the first crucial step in making life-changing technologies more accessible and affordable for those with spinal cord injuries and other causes of walking impairments, alleviating the financial burden and providing new opportunities for mobility and independence.
For more information visit wandercraft.eu.
Media Contact
Lilly Kofler
Global Head of Marketing & Communications
lilly.kofler@wandercraft.health
*Kevin Piette and Thibault Simon are trained Wandercraft Test Pilots. The device featured in the Olympic & Paralympic Torch Relay is in the final stages of Research and Development and is not available for commercial use. Wandercraft will be entering clinical trials in the United States soon, with the goal of commercial availability in the next few years.
