FDA Approves First Self-Balancing, Personal Exoskeleton

FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Eve (Wandercraft), the first self-balancing personal exoskeleton for eligible adult wheelchair users living with spinal cord injury.

Eve enables eligible users, who can operate the device”s remote control, to walk and perform certain activities of daily living hands-free. The device is intended for use on level indoor surfaces and adjacent outdoor areas under the supervision of a specially trained companion.

A trial at three clinical sites showed that participants and companions could learn to operate Eve and met key functional and usability end points, including measures of walking performance and activities of daily living. Participants reported daily life improvements, including health status, psychological well-being, endurance during daily activities, lower-limb spasticity, and sitting balance. Improvements in sleep quality and bladder and bowel function were also reported by some participants.

“What makes these findings meaningful is that the technology was evaluated not only on engineering performance but also on how users and companions could safely integrate it into real-world activities,” Gail Forrest, Ph.D., director of the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at the Kessler Foundation, one of the clinical trial sites, said in a statement.

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