Wandercraft announces launch of US commercial operations with the start of Atalante X research at Kessler Foundation
- Company opens US corporate headquarters in New York, led by CEO Matthieu Masselin
- First Atalante X exoskeleton for clinical research already delivered to Kessler Foundation and staff training is complete
- Kessler Foundation research team will analyze Atalante X to investigate the possible benefits for neurologically impaired patients, including those recovering from stroke, spinal cord injuries, and motor neuron disease
NEW YORK CITY, New York, 12 October 2023 -- Wandercraft, the developer of the world's first self-stabilizing walking exoskeleton, designed to enable people with walking impairments to stand and walk again, announced today the official launch of commercial operations in the United States with the start of Atalante X research at Kessler Foundation, a global leader in rehabilitation research.
Wandercraft’s US headquarters, based in New York and led by CEO Matthieu Masselin, have opened as the Company looks to ramp up operations in the US following FDA clearance of the Atalante exoskeleton for use in stroke rehabilitation in December 2022.
A large number of individuals with disabilities in the US may benefit from using the Atalante X exoskeleton. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year and this is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. In addition, approximately 302,000 people living in the United States have experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury according to the US National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Finally, approximately one million people in the US are living with multiple sclerosis according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Wandercraft’s Atalante X received a CE-mark* in 2019 and has been used to treat over 650 patients in almost 5,500 sessions for various medical conditions across multiple European rehabilitation hospitals. Its unique self-balancing feature enables patients to move in multiple directions hands-free, without an assistive device, and includes a dynamic balance mode unavailable elsewhere in the exoskeleton market. The Active Balance mode allows the exoskeleton to follow the movement of the patient thanks to a motion sensor placed on their back, which enables more freedom in the rehabilitation program, including gamification of the sessions to keep the patients engaged and work on core strength and balance as well as gait.
“Building our presence in the world’s largest healthcare market and announcing this partnership with Kessler Foundation are two significant milestones in our goal to revolutionize standards of care and providing a pathway to recovery for patients with severe mobility issues,” said Matthieu Masselin, CEO of Wandercraft. “Wandercraft has strong clinical and engineering expertise, and we are always looking to partner with respected institutions that work with state-of-the-art technologies to improve clinical solutions for patients and clinicians.”
The first Atalante exoskeleton for research use has been delivered to Kessler Foundation and staff training has been completed. Kessler's research team, led by Gail Forrest, PhD, Karen J. Nolan, PhD, and Ghaith Androwis PhD, is investigating the impacts of this innovative robotic technology on biomechanics and functional mobility.
“With more than two decades of experience researching wearable exoskeletons, our team has the depth and scope of expertise needed to study innovations such as Atalante,” said Gail Forrest, PhD, director of the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation and associate director of the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation. “Most importantly, we are examining the inherent capabilities of this powered exoskeleton, and how it interfaces with the user’s neuromuscular system to help maintain balance and facilitate walking,” Dr. Forrest explained.
“After testing in healthy volunteers, we will conduct pilot studies in individuals with a variety of mobility impairments, including those caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis,” added Karen J. Nolan, PhD, associate director of the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research and director of the Center’s Acquired Brain Injury Mobility Laboratory. “By working with the Wandercraft team, we anticipate gaining insight into ways to improve gait rehabilitation through advanced robotic-assisted walking.”
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*The Conformité Européene (CE) Mark is defined as the European Union's (EU) mandatory conformity marking for regulating the goods sold within the European Economic Area (EEA) since 1985. The CE marking represents a manufacturer's declaration that products comply with the EU's New Approach Directives.
About Wandercraft
Wandercraft is a global manufacturer developing and commercializing advanced robotic solutions to enable people with walking impairments to stand up and walk again. The Company has used its engineering expertise to design Atalante X, the world's first self-stabilizing walking exoskeleton which emulates human walking and provides hands-free multi-directional locomotion. Atalante X is already used by many hospitals and healthcare facilities in Europe and the USA. Several different walking programs are designed to support rehabilitation and greater independence.
For more information, please visit www.wandercraft.eu.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research. Our scientists seek to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the brain and spinal cord including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Kessler Foundation also leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
Media contacts
Wandercraft Inc
Gary Viles
VP of commercial operations Americas
Gary.viles@wandercraft.fr
+1 (813) 435-0772
Consilium Strategic Communications (for Wandercraft)
Mary-Jane Elliott, Ashley Tapp, Andrew Stern
Wandercraft@consilium-comms.com
+44 (0)20 3709 5700
Kessler Foundation
Carolann Murphy
cmurphy@kesslerfoundation.org
+1 (201) 803-0572
