Wandercraft is a French robotics company founded in 2012 by Nicolas Simon, Matthieu Masselin, and Jean-Louis Constanza. The founders were motivated by personal experiences, as family members suffered from Charcot Marie Tooth, or CMT, disease and faced limited mobility options.
The company‘s primary goal until now has been to enable people with severe gait and mobility impairments to stand and walk again. Wandercraft developed a product line of reliable, self-balancing exoskeletons capable of safely carrying a person.
Renault to help develop industrial robotics
This week, Wandercraft unveiled its first humanoid robot called Calvin. The company claimed that it developed the robot in 40 days, using elements of its exoskeleton products.
The new project comes on the heels of an announcement that Renault Group is making a minority investment in Wandercraft. The automaker is investing along with Wandercraft’s existing shareholders and new investors.
The commercial partners said they aim to ensure the development of Calvin as a family of next-generation robots, primarily for industrial uses. Calvin will allow Renault to relieve its workers from painful and non-ergonomic tasks, while reducing production time and thereby increasing productivity.
At a later stage, Renault will help commercialize the robots and exoskeletons by reducing costs through design-to-cost and scaling, two disciplines in which the automotive industry is well recognized. This will help Wandercraft to put its new exoskeleton Eve on the market and open new business opportunities in robotics.
“Renault Group’s investment marks a defining moment for Wandercraft,” said Matthieu Masselin, co-founder and CEO. “This partnership will boost our ability to build and scale high-impact, low-cost robotics that improve the everyday lives of real people—whether it’s helping individuals with disabilities walk or supporting industrial workers through automation — on the factory floor, in clinics and at home. We’re proud to combine our technology with Renault Group’s industrial excellence to deliver the next generation of mobile robotics.”
Calvin employs a set of non-grasping hands, and in the video above, the robot moves a tote to a shelf. The Robot Report reached out to the company for specs on the robot, but it didn’t reply as of press time.
The new Calvin humanoid robot is designed for industrial use. Credit: Wandercraft
Wandercraft exoskeleton in clinical trials
Wandercraft’s primary product is the Atalante X, a self-stabilizing exoskeleton designed for rehabilitation settings. Launched in 2019, Atalante X allows patients to walk, stand, and relearn natural human motion from their first session. It is currently used in nearly 100 rehabilitation and clinical research centers worldwide.
Key features include ActiveBalance mode and 12 degrees of freedom at the hips, knees, and ankles, enabling a natural gait. The Atalante X offers benefits for both patients (early rehabilitation, hands-free walking, high step counts, multi-directional movement) and therapists (quick setup, customizable intensity, high-intensity training, no need for crutches). Atalante X has received FDA clearance for individuals with spinal cord injuries (T5-L5) and stroke patients, and it has a CE mark in Europe for various conditions.
The company demonstrated the exoskeleton last year when a paraplegic athlete participated in an Olympic flame running event.
Following the success of Atalante X, Wandercraft recently unveiled the Personal Exoskeleton, a self-balancing, walk-assist system designed for personal, everyday use. The company started clinical trials of the Personal Exoskeleton in February 2025.
This hands-free system aims to provide personal freedom of motion in home and community settings. Like Atalante X, it features a fully powered hip-knee-ankle lower body with 12 actuated degrees of freedom and dynamic walking control.
The Personal Exoskeleton, unveiled as a prototype in December 2023, is in its final stages of research and development and will undergo clinical testing and regulatory review before becoming widely available.
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