French Robotics Company Wandercraft Launches Self-Balancing Exoskeleton Eve in the US
A French robotics company has reached a new milestone in assisted mobility. Paris-based Wandercraft commercially launched Eve in the United States on September 17, 2026. Described as the first personal self-balancing exoskeleton authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the device enables certain adults with spinal cord injuries to stand and walk without crutches or a walker.
For decades, powered lower-limb exoskeletons have helped restore upright mobility to people who have lost the ability to walk. However, their use has often been limited by one major constraint: users needed crutches or a walker to maintain their balance.
This requirement significantly reduced their usefulness for people with limited trunk control or impaired upper-limb mobility.
Eve is designed to maintain the user's stability automatically. This allows users to keep their hands free to perform everyday activities, such as opening a door, preparing a meal, reaching for an object or simply speaking to another person at eye level.
Eve builds on several years of research and development by Wandercraft into Atalante X, its self-balancing exoskeleton designed for rehabilitation. Already used in more than 150 clinical and research centers worldwide, Atalante X demonstrated that a robotic system could automatically maintain a person's balance while enabling multidirectional walking in a controlled medical environment.
The FDA granted authorization in August 2026 following a clinical study conducted at three sites: the Kessler Foundation, the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, and Wandercraft's Walk center in New York.
The study included people with different levels of spinal cord injury, as well as caregivers trained to operate the device. Participants met the functional and usability objectives established for the study.
According to results reported by Wandercraft, some participants also described improvements in their overall health, psychological well-being, endurance, lower-limb spasticity and seated balance. Additional benefits were reported in areas including sleep and bladder and bowel function.
One of Eve's distinguishing features is that eligibility is not restricted according to the neurological level of a spinal cord injury. Instead, eligibility depends primarily on the user's ability to operate the handheld controller safely and the absence of medical contraindications. An individual assessment by a healthcare professional is required before the device can be prescribed.
The device nevertheless has physical limitations. It is designed for users weighing up to approximately 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and measuring up to 1.94 meters (6 feet 4 inches). Other requirements concern thigh and lower-leg length, hip width and joint mobility.
How Does Eve Work?
Once the device has been prescribed, it is fitted to the user's body and used as part of a dedicated training program with a trained companion.
After completing the learning process and certification, the exoskeleton can be used at home.
The control system continuously maintains the user's stability in real time. Users direct their movements with a handheld controller, while balancing algorithms handle a critical part of postural control.
The device is primarily intended for flat indoor surfaces and certain immediately adjacent outdoor areas, such as a terrace or patio. It must be used with a companion who has received the appropriate training.
This automated balancing capability is particularly important for people who lack sufficient trunk control. Whereas traditional exoskeletons require users to rely continuously on their upper limbs for support, Eve allows them to keep their hands free.
This could change the way people perform simple everyday activities: standing at a kitchen counter, brushing their teeth at a bathroom sink, preparing a meal or talking to someone without remaining seated.
Standing and bearing weight can offer several physiological benefits for people with spinal cord injuries, including potential improvements in circulation and bone health, as well as helping prevent certain complications associated with prolonged sitting.
Being able to stand at eye level can also change everyday social interactions, whether during a conversation, a family activity or a work-related task. For some wheelchair users, alternating between sitting and standing provides an additional degree of independence in their daily environment.
Toward a New Generation of Exoskeletons?
Until now, exoskeletons have been associated primarily with rehabilitation centers, clinical trials and medical settings. With Eve, Wandercraft aims to bring this technology into everyday life.
Other companies in the sector are also developing similar technologies. In the coming years, a key challenge will be to make these devices more compact, intuitive, autonomous and affordable while maintaining high safety standards.
Caroline Haïat
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