Medical technology company Reev announced on Thursday that it had raised 3 million euros to launch a robotic knee orthosis to help people with walking disorders. This “motorized orthosis with assisted knee steering”, which is inspired by connected technology from the automotive sector, will increase the motor capabilities of the leg “based on data collected by a movement analysis sensor” , Amaury Ciurana, co-founder and boss of the Toulouse company, told AFP.
With these funds, the company will finalize its clinical prototype, strengthen its research and development and launch new studies with patients. “The goal is to start in the United States because the time to access the market is faster there”, because “the majority of our partners are there” and “because American insurance reimburses the electronic orthotics at a price of more than $30,000,” explains this aerospace engineer, who plans to launch in Europe later.
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Robotic orthoses are designed for people with a neurological gait disorder after a cardiovascular accident, multiple sclerosis or partial paraplegia. There are passive orthotics, such as knee pads or splints that hold the leg to stabilize movement, but these “do not provide assistance in getting up, climbing stairs or walking longer,” emphasizes Amaury Ciurana.
Initially, Reev will distribute its sensor to rehabilitation and fitting clinics in the United States. This sensor makes it possible to analyze the gait before wearing the orthosis, that is to say, to understand its speed, its symmetry, the stride length, all data which will be “integrated into the control of the exoskeleton » to allow tailor-made rehabilitation for the patient, explains Amaury Ciurana.
Created with another engineer and doctor in mechatronics, Robin Temporelli, the start-up signed a strategic partnership with Thuasne, a French specialist in orthopedics, also established in the United States, to “prepare clinical tests together” and “ access to the American market for 2025.