Wandercraft, ‘Ordinary lives for extraordinary people’

We are excited to introduce our member, Wandercraft, a pioneering company committed to transforming the lives of individuals with mobility impairments through innovative robotics solutions.

Article authored by Laurent Metz MD MBA, Chief Medical Officer at Wandercraft

Wandercraft envisions a world where people who cannot walk can stand up and walk again. To make this vision a reality, Wandercraft spent the last decade quietly solving robotics' toughest challenge: develop a reliable, fully self-balancing humanoid capable of walking in the real world while safely carrying a person who cannot move their legs.    

Now a global industry leader in robotics for those with severe gait and mobility impairments, Wandercraft entered the market with Atalante X. This self-stabilizing exoskeleton enables patients to stand up and walk again in a rehabilitation setting.  Atalante X is currently in use in nearly 100 rehabilitation institutions and clinical research centers worldwide.    

Following the commercial success of Atalante X among rehabilitation centers and patients around the world, Wandercraft recently unveiled the Personal Exoskeleton, the first and only self-stabilizing walk exoskeleton designed for personal everyday use. 

The company was founded in 2012 by Nicholas Simon, Matthieu Masselin, and Jean-Louis Constanza with the of goal of generating modern solutions to an ancient challenge.  

Simon was inspired to develop the technology by his brother who suffers from a rare genetic disease called Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT). As they grew up, Simon watched his brother lose the ability to run, then ski, until finally, he could no longer stand or walk independently. As a young student in engineering school, Simon asked himself: Why are wheelchairs the only option? 

On the other side of Paris, co-founder Jean-Louis Constanza faced from his son, Oscar, who also lives with CMT. Oscar received his first wheelchair at the age of 6, to which he responded: “Dad, you’re a robotics engineer, why don’t you make a robot to help me to walk?”

Atalante X Exoskeleton  

Atalante X is an exoskeleton designed for mobilization of patients in rehabilitation. On the market since 2019, Atalante X empowers patients in rehab to walk, stand, and re-learn the natural feeling of human motion on their very first session. As a self-balancing, hands-free exoskeleton, Atalante X enables patients with severe mobility impairments to rediscover their natural height, freedom of movement, and improved health outcomes associated with exoskeletal-assisted walking.  

In addition to the benefits of patient rehabilitation, Atalante X enables physical therapists and clinicians the ability to plan dynamic treatment programs and walking sessions for even the most complex patients. This is because of Atalante X’s ActiveBalance mode as well as it’s 12 degrees of freedom (“joints”) at the hip, knees, and powered ankle mechanism which enables the natural human gait.

On December 13, 2023, Wandercraft received confirmation of FDA’s clearance of Atalante X for individuals with spinal cord injuries at levels T5 to L5 (SCI). This clearance came less than a year after FDA’s previous clearance of the Atalante X for stroke, announced in January 2023, making it one of the few FDA-cleared exoskeletons and the only FDA-cleared exoskeleton with a powered ankle mechanism capable of mimicking the natural human gait. 

Personal Exoskeleton 

Wandercraft’s Personal Exoskeleton is the first and only completely self-balancing exoskeleton designed for everyday use. The Personal Exoskeleton is a completely hands-free walking system designed to enable personal freedom of motion for people living with even the most severe gait and mobility impairments. 

From a parent walking their child down the aisle to the simple act of walking across a stage for the first time since childhood, we are eager to restore users' ability to participate in life's full range of experiences. 

The Personal Exoskeleton was unveiled in December 2023 and is currently in the final stages of research and development. Wandercraft looks forward to rigorous clinical testing and working with local regulators to ensure it is safe and accessible for as many people as possible. 

Initially based in Paris, Wandercraft has an office in Manhattan since December 2022, where its CEO, Matthieu Masselin, is located. Wandercraft is scaling up its operation to make their Exoskeleton available to patients in the United States 

Laurent Metz MD MBA

Chief Medical Officer, Wandercraft

laurent.metz@wandercraft.health

The Wandercraft Story

The personal Exoskeleton