Wandercraft

Wandercraft is a French startup founded in 2012 that develops exoskeletons to help individuals with mobility impairments stand up and walk. The company's flagship product is the Atalante exoskeleton, a self-balancing, lower-body device with 12 actuated degrees of freedom, enabling hands-free multi-directional locomotion. Atalante emulates human walking through advanced algorithms and provides an adjustable level of assistance, allowing users to practice gait training from early steps to a more natural gait.

The latest model, Atalante X, released in April 2022, offers improved features such as enhanced stability, customizable gait patterns, and adjustable assistance levels. It is designed for use in rehabilitation hospitals and walking centers, helping stroke survivors and other patients regain mobility and independence during their recovery process. As of January 2023, the Atalante exoskeleton received FDA clearance for stroke rehabilitation in the US.

Wandercraft is currently developing a personal version of the exoskeleton for outdoor and home use, aiming to provide greater autonomy and improve the everyday health of individuals with reduced mobility. This personal exoskeleton, unveiled in January 2024, is compact, self-stabilizing, and designed to operate in unpredictable urban environments, enabling users to control their direction, cross steps or sidewalks, and maintain balance.

Key customers and partnerships

In January 2022, Wandercraft raised EUR 40 million (USD 45 million) in Series C funding to accelerate the deployment of Atalante in the US market and develop the personal exoskeleton. The funding round was led by US-based Quadrant Management, with participation from existing investors like Bpifrance and new investors such as MACSF, Malakoff Humanis, AG2R La Mondiale, Mutuelles Impact, and Sofiouest.

As of November 2022, Wandercraft had deployed about 20 Atalante exoskeletons in hospitals across Europe and North America, with each device costing approximately EUR 176,000 (USD 200,000). The company has partnerships with rehabilitation and neurological hospitals in these regions, enabling patients to benefit from the exoskeleton's gait training capabilities.