A 35-Year-Old Paraplegic Athlete Became The First Person To Use A Self-Balancing Exoskeleton To Walk In The Torch Relay Before The Olympics
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, a 35-year-old paraplegic athlete named Kevin Piette carried the Olympic torch while wearing an exoskeleton developed by the French engineering company Wandercraft. He was the first user of a self-balancing exoskeleton to walk in the torch relay before the Olympics.
After a car accident that occurred 11 years ago, Piette was left without the ability to use his legs. He is a trained “test pilot” for Wandercraft. The Paris-based company was founded in 2012 and designs exoskeletons to help patients regain the ability to walk.
“Self-balancing robotics or self-balancing devices is one of the robotics’ toughest challenges,” said a Wandercraft spokesperson. “So we decided to tackle that challenge, not just with a self-balancing humanoid but putting the world’s most vulnerable population of people in it, which is people who can’t move their legs.”
Piette typically uses a wheelchair. He is the number 10 wheelchair tennis player in France. Although he did not qualify to compete in France, the Olympic Committee agreed to let him participate in the Olympic ceremony.
He carried the flame using a prototype of Wandercraft’s “personal exoskeleton,” which is undergoing the final stages of development. According to a spokesperson, the company plans to conduct usability and clinical trials on it soon. It is not yet available for commercial use.
The personal exoskeleton is designed for everyday use and to include a range of motions, such as sitting, standing, and stepping from side to side.
The prototype device has about four hours of life, but the company aims to extend the amount of time it lasts to an entire workday.
Algorithms programmed into the suit and the movements of the user’s torso are what allow the exoskeletons to move. The suit also includes a joystick for directional commands.
“The goal is to get people out of wheelchairs,” said Caltech professor Aaron Ames. “It turns out that even locomoting in a clinical setting has positive health benefits. Getting up and moving has a lot of positive benefits, and then beyond that, the ultimate goal is an exoskeleton that can enable mobility in everyday life and everyday situations.”
Iliya Mitskavets – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Wandercraft already offers the Atalante X exoskeleton in rehabilitation centers for individuals with spinal cord injuries.
It helps people with limited mobility to stand up and walk again. It has been given the seal of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Exoskeletons are expensive, but new policies in the U.S. provide financial help for those who may want to purchase such technology.
Wandercraft also brought in over $27 million in financing from the European Investment Bank and plans to use the money to increase patient access to exoskeletons.
The Wandercraft team believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to stand up and walk in their daily lives.
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