The Atalante X self-supporting exoskeleton is being examined for medical use. Supply: Wandercraft
Robotics and wearable applied sciences present promise in serving to sufferers in rehabilitation. The primary affected person has enrolled in a brand new medical trial at Brigham and Girls’s Hospital for Atalante X, a robotic exoskeleton from Wandercraft.
“This pilot research is designed to reply an essential, sensible query: Can Atalante X, a self-balancing exoskeleton, be used safely and successfully in a thoracic surgical ICU [intensive care unit]?” mentioned Matthieu Masselin, co-founder and CEO of Wandercraft.
Thoracic surgical procedure sufferers are sometimes unable to face for even a minute with out the help of two or extra healthcare suppliers, in line with ICU clinicians. The primary days after surgical procedure are sometimes a tough interval for mobilizing a affected person, however even a couple of minutes of upright posture can profit cardiorespiratory perform, very important signal stability, muscle preservation, and psychological well-being, Wandercraft famous.
“Early mobilization is likely one of the simplest and underused instruments we’ve got to enhance outcomes after thoracic surgical procedure,” mentioned Raphael Bueno, M.D., chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgical procedure at Brigham and Girls’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass Common Brigham healthcare system and a instructing hospital of Harvard Medical College.
“This trial permits us to discover whether or not an exoskeleton will help us mobilize sufferers earlier, safer, and extra persistently than is feasible at the moment,” added Bueno, who can be the Lawrence Harvey Cohn Professor of Surgical procedure within the area of cardiothoracic surgical procedure at Harvard Medical College. “Enrolling the primary affected person marks an thrilling step ahead for this research.”
Atalante X helps folks with complicated circumstances
Wandercraft claimed that the interventional pilot trial is the primary of its type and is designed to evaluate the medical utility of Atalante X. The hands-free exoskeleton has been cleared by U.S. Meals and Drug Administration and obtained a CE mark in Europe.
Not like different robotic rehabilitation units, also called overground gait exoskeletons, Atalante X doesn’t rely on sufferers utilizing assistive units reminiscent of walkers or crutches, mentioned Wandercraft. The gadget is at the moment accredited to be used by folks with spinal wire damage at ranges C4 to L5 (SCI), hemiplegia on account of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or a number of sclerosis (MS).
The exoskeleton has 12 powered joints on the hips, knees, and ankles, permitting clinicians to ship intensive and personalised gait remedy for a broad vary of neurological and musculoskeletal circumstances.
Wandercraft asserted that Atalante X helps sufferers stroll, stand, and retrain pure motion patterns from their very first session. The firm mentioned this makes the wearable gadget particularly helpful for people with complicated circumstances or restricted upper-body energy.
“Since commercializing Atalante X, we at the moment are in over 100 analysis and rehabilitation amenities worldwide, with important progress throughout the U.S., together with notable establishments as Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, Moody Neurorehabilitation Institute, and Georgia Tech, and dozens of latest deployments worldwide,” Masselin mentioned. “We’re seeing sufferers taking 1 million steps per 30 days worldwide and buyer use with a broad vary of affected person populations.”
Scientific pilot to guage exoskeleton in a number of methods
In an interventional pilot, sufferers are receiving therapy and usually are not simply being noticed, defined Masselin. Eligible ICU sufferers will take part in structured coaching periods utilizing Atalante X, and the exoskeleton will probably be built-in into their care in order that it may be evaluated in real-world follow.
Masselin informed The Robotic Report that the research, which will probably be open for about six months, contains 4 distinct analysis domains:
- Security, primarily based on the quantity and severity of adversarial occasions, in addition to whether or not these occasions are associated to the research procedures or the exoskeleton
- Feasibility, evaluated by the flexibility to finish two periods per week over a two-week interval, together with session length, variety of steps taken, and the extent of exoskeleton help wanted
- Usability, together with the time required for donning and doffing the exoskeleton, the personnel wanted per session, and affected person and operator satisfaction
- Effectiveness, assessed by the Johns Hopkins Hospital Mobility Scale (JH-HLM), which measures the affected person’s purposeful mobility
The protocol will contain at no less than 5 grownup sufferers within the Thoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Brigham and Girls’s Hospital, famous Masselin. They’ll take part in two exoskeleton periods per week till they’re discharged from the ICU.
“The general research design goals to know how the know-how performs in follow and what it takes to deploy it safely and successfully in an ICU,” he mentioned. “This type of suggestions is strictly what guides future enhancements in affected person care and medical integration, together with lowering the staffing burden wanted to mobilize critically sick sufferers. These insights may be helpful to our present Atalante X customers and their care groups.”
Atalante X will probably be a part of ICU therapy within the trial. Supply: Wandercraft
Wandercraft works to deliver Eve into the house
Based in 2012, Wandercraft is creating self-balancing, AI-enabled mobility programs to revive strolling means each at dwelling and in rehabilitation. The Paris-based firm has greater than 30 patents, and its merchandise embody the Eve private exoskeleton.
“We’re actually excited to deliver our know-how into the house,” mentioned Masselin. “Eve is designed to assist people residing with mobility impairments of their on a regular basis lives. Scientific trials began in 2025, with industrial availability anticipated later this yr.”
“For a lot of customers, strolling with out crutches or walkers – or in any respect – was as soon as unimaginable,” he mentioned. “Because the world’s first self-balancing exoskeleton for private use, Eve is designed to remodel mobility by enabling customers to stroll hands-free each at dwelling and outside.”
In 2025, Wandercraft expanded into industrial robotics with the launch of Calvin-40, a humanoid robotic introduced in with its strategic partnership with Renault Group. The corporate constructed Calvin-40 on the identical robotics platform as its medical exoskeletons. The robotic is engineered to carry out bodily demanding or hazardous duties in real-world environments, beginning with manufacturing.
