FDA-cleared exoskeleton puts spinal-cord patients back on their feet
By
Omar KardoudiSeptember 27, 2026
FDA-cleared exoskeleton puts spinal-cord patients back on their feet
Eve is reported to be the world's first personal exoskeleton with a self-balancing feature
Wandercraft
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Eve is reported to be the world's first personal exoskeleton with a self-balancing feature
Wandercraft
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A joystick lets users control every step, turn, and stance shift
Wandercraft
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Twelve motors in the hips, knees, and ankles keep Eve balanced and upright
Wandercraft
View gallery - 3 imagesA robotic suit that lets someone with a spinal-cord injury stand up, look a friend in the eye, or stir a pot on the stove without anyone's help just cleared its biggest hurdle. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency that vets medical devices before they reach the public, has authorized commercial sale of Eve, a personal exoskeleton built by French company Wandercraft.
Eve is not meant to replace a wheelchair. It's a tool for the moments when standing matters more than rolling – a conversation, a meal prep, brushing teeth, moving around the house without asking for a helping hand. Wandercraft says any adult with a spinal cord injury can use it, regardless of where along the spine the damage occurred, as long as they can operate the control joystick.
The device straps on like a rigid vest, with bands securing the torso, waist, thighs, legs, and feet. A headrest, armrests, a front safety bar, and a rear handle round out the frame, the last one letting a caregiver steady the wearer if needed. Twelve motors, built into the hips, knees, and ankles, do the walking, while onboard sensors constantly read and correct balance, whether the person is standing still or in motion. That self-balancing trick, no crutches or walker required, is what Wandercraft points to as its edge over earlierexoskeletons.
Meet Eve: The Personal Exoskeleton Built for Everyday Life
Before delivery, technicians calibrate the machine to each user's height, leg length, and joint flexibility. From there, a joystick adapted to the person's hand mobility drives everything: sitting, standing, walking forward or backward, turning, side-stepping, and even shifting weight from foot to foot in a looser free mode. Top speed is a fixed 0.25 meters per second (0.56 mph), deliberately slow for safety, and a full charge lasts up to four hours, per the company's specifications. If power runs out, the motors disengage, and a braking mechanism lowers the wearer to the ground gradually rather than letting them drop.
The FDA clearance leans on a study run at the Kessler Foundation and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center, published in theJournal of Visualized Experiments. Sixteen patient-caregiver pairs took part – seven patients had high neck injuries causing tetraplegia (paralysis affecting all four limbs), and nine had upper-back injuries causing paraplegia (affecting lower limbs). After medical screening, fitting, and four training sessions, every pair completed the study's two benchmark tests: standing, walking, and sitting back down within three minutes, plus a six-minute walk covering a minimum distance. Fifteen of the sixteen suited up in under 10 minutes, and all of them managed to take it off within that window.
Nearly 69% hit their target walking speed, and 87.5% finished all six everyday tasks tested, like opening doors or cooking. Performance climbed steadily as sessions went on. Seventeen safety incidents were logged, eight tied directly to the device, mostly skin irritation and muscle spasms, plus one fall with no injury. Nobody dropped out over safety concerns.
Eve is helpful but still not perfect for everyone. It's strictly an indoor, flat-surface device – no stairs, curbs, ramps, wet or icy floors, crowds, or public streets, a limit the company attributes to the suit's slow pace. Users can't exceed 100 kg (220 lb) in weight or 1.94 m (6ft4) in height, with further caps on leg length and hip width. A certified caregiver must always be present, trained alongside the patient through remote screening, in-person clinical sessions, and a five-session course before the custom-built unit, prescribed by a doctor, goes home with them.
Wandercraft announced US sales this month and says Medicare, the veterans' health system, and workers' compensation insurance are already covering costs for some US patients, with financing available otherwise. We've no word on unit pricing.
The company hasn't set a timeline yet for Eve’s landing in other countries. "FDA clearance showed that Eve was ready to move forward," said Matthieu Masselin, co-founder and CEO of Wandercraft. "Today is about making it a reality for the people we built it for."
Source:Wandercraft
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