Deep Tech is developing enormously in France and among the actors of its actors, there is the company Wandercraft, based in Paris. Its specialty is exoskeletons, intended for people with disabilities. Its flagship product is the Atalante X exoskeleton, already approved in Europe, which helps with rehabilitation. Currently, the product, already used in hospitals, is used to rehabilitate people with complete or incomplete motor paraplegia, as well as people with “hemiplegia secondary to stroke or any other cause of acquired brain injury.”
Technology that will change lives
The particularity of this French exoskeleton is its unique self-balancing technology, developed over the years, which frees the patient’s hands. While Wandercraft continues to develop in Europe, it is also launching an assault on the American market. Indeed, the French company has just obtained the green light from the American authorities (the FDA) for the use of its exoskeleton for rehabilitation in the United States, in the event of a stroke.
An important step for the development of the company since. According to co-founder Jean-Louis Constanza, in an interview with BFM Business, the USA will represent between half and two-thirds of the Wandercraft market in a few years.
In this interview, the co-founder also explains that at the moment these exoskeletons are manufactured in the company’s offices. However, it is in the process of setting up a real production chain, still in France. In addition, according to our colleagues from Engadget, it is still rare for the American FDA to give the green light to exoskeletons. However, more than 795,000 people suffer strokes there every year.
Soon, a domestic exoskeleton
As mentioned above, currently, the exoskeleton offered by Wandercraft is intended for hospitals, for rehabilitation. But the company plans to release a smaller model for home use. In essence, this exoskeleton will allow a person who would normally use a wheelchair to walk robotically, in everyday life. The objective will be to produce between 5,000 and 10,000 per year (while today, Wandercraft has only produced around thirty exoskeletons for hospitals).
It is important to note that a year ago, Wandercraft raised $45 million in Series C funding, led by Quadrant Management, and in which Bpifrance participated. “We are delighted to attract world-class investors from the United States and Europe to advance the company’s development agenda”said the company’s CEO, Matthieu Masselin, in a press release.
Investors provide the fuel in our spaceship. Today, a lot of media including TechCrunch announce Wandercraft’s $45m Series C raise.
We are so proud to have gathered this team of investors around our vision -let people who can’t wa…https://t.co/WzYzrdg4iO https://t.co/rH0ycNukPq
— Jean-Louis Constanza (@jlconstanza) January 20, 2022
“With the support of patients, healthcare professionals and the DeepTech community, the Wandercraft team has created unique technology that improves rehabilitation care and will soon enable people in wheelchairs to regain their independence and improve their health on a daily basis”he added.
Source: Presse-Citron
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
