Jul 29, 2021 08:00:00

Developed 'Powered Suit that enables fathers to walk independently' for children who cannot walk by nature

Powered suits that support human movements using actuators and artificial muscles are attracting attention for reducing the burden of physical labor andsupporting people who cannot move their bodies freely. A new Reuters news agency reported that the engineer's father has developed a ' powered suit that allows him to walk independently' for his son, who is naturally unable to walk.

Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/father-builds-exoskeleton-help-wheelchair-bound-son-walk-2021-07-26/

16-year-old Oscar Constanta lives in a wheelchair because of hereditary neurological disorders that prevent her from sending brain signals to her legs.

However, when the newly developed powered suit is installed ...

I was able to stand up on the spot.

You can also walk slowly.

'I used to need someone to help me walk ... Powered suits make me feel independent,' says Oscar.

Oscar's father was involved in the development of this powered suit, and Jean-Louis Constanta, co-founder of

the Paris startup Wandercraft, which develops and manufactures medical exoskeletons. Founded in 2021, Wandercraft says that two out of three founders have a wheelchair family.

One day, when Oscar asked, 'My father is a robot engineer. Why don't you make a robot that I can walk on?', Mr. Constanta is a powered suit that supports people with disabilities. It is said that the development of. 'Ten years from now, wheelchairs will be gone or much less,' said Constanta.

The powered suit developed by Wandercraft has a mechanism to move by fixing the shoulders, chest, hips, knees, and legs, and it seems that it not only supports movement but also has a function to simulate body movement. It is already sold to medical institutions in France, Luxembourg and the United States, and the price per unit is 150,000 euros (about 19.5 million yen). It seems that it is not sold to general users, and weight reduction is an issue for use in daily life.

Kevin Pieto, who has been lame since he had a motorcycle accident 10 years ago, can cook while standing by wearing a Wandercraft powered suit.

You can also carry the food to the table. 'It's kind of like sending a signal from the remote to your feet instead of sending a signal from your brain to your feet,' Pieto said of the powered suit.