Autonomy, accelerated convalescence… this revolutionary exoskeleton chair would improve the lives of 470,000 French people

It was a year ago, at Christmas time. Marianna, 51, from Béziers (Hérault), joined her parents for the holidays, in the Paris region. Suddenly, tragedy strikes: a stroke strikes her down. Emergency hospitalized, she spent three weeks in a coma, then four more in intensive care. Once out of trouble, a long convalescence awaits, in order to gradually recover one’s autonomy.

During her stay at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital (Paris), she met Damien Roche. The man is not a doctor but a young 33-year-old business manager. In agreement with Professor Éléonore Bayen, of the physical medicine and rehabilitation department, the founder of Lifebloom offers five patients welcomed there to join a study program. “I told myself that I had nothing to lose,” confides Marianna, who had difficulty moving around with a walker. Damien takes another risk. Because for several years, with his seven employees, he has been developing a new solution to support these convalescent people. A device that he hopes to market soon.

The project was born from an exchange with one of his friends, himself injured and stuck in his chair ever since. Apart from daily physiotherapy sessions, the man was not allowed to try anything that would risk causing him to fall. Damien then wonders: how can we combine the stability of an armchair for the seated posture with the flexibility of an exoskeleton for the standing position? An engineer in civil engineering and the energy field, he will take advantage of his free time to produce the first drafts of his project.

Help from clinicians

The needs are enormous. In France alone, 470,000 people recovering from or affected by a partially disabling illness could benefit. In 2019, Damien founded his company and surrounded himself with a small team that went into the field. “We surveyed more than a hundred clinicians across Europe to properly map needs and constraints. » The first modular armchairs are built and tested: “It is in this context that we launched the seven-week study program at Pitié-Salpêtrière. »

For her part, Marianna quickly made this new kind of chair her own. Comparable in size to a classic model, Oxilio – that’s its name – has five small wheels guaranteeing stability and mobility. Adaptable handles provide support for the forearms and two small cushions sit along the pelvis to allow it to become one with the whole. “Around fifteen mechanical adjustments are possible to adapt the chair to individual needs,” explains Damien.

Accelerated convalescence

Each time Marianna leans forward to get up, the cylinders of the exoskeleton accompany her, making her rise even easier. Propped against a part of the seat that rose with her, Marianna finds herself standing on her fragile legs, without fear of falling. All this without an engine. The only electronic elements on board: a few sensors which allow its doctors to monitor remotely, via a simple tablet. Enough to measure your progress in walking. And, for Marianna, these were quick. “I was able to start washing alone again in my room, in complete safety. » A revolution for people who, previously, remained dependent on external help for the slightest movement out of bed.

At the end of her seven weeks of accelerated convalescence, Marianna was able to do without it. Since then, she has been able to return to Béziers while remaining monitored in a day hospital.

For Damien and his company Lifebloom, the adventure continues. Around ten rehabilitation centers will be equipped in the coming months, in order to make Oxilio available to the patients there. A way of also democratizing its use and allowing health services to make considerable savings, due to gains in autonomy. Ultimately, the chair should also become directly accessible to individuals to support, for example, long-term pathologies such as Parkinson’s disease or difficulties linked to aging.