Good Shepherd Rehabilitation is the first clinical user in the United States to utilize robotic exoskeleton technology to help people with stroke and spinal cord injury to walk.

The groundbreaking robotic exoskeleton technology made history and a heartwarming viral moment at the Paris Olympics.

Wandercraft’s exoskeleton took center stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer when Parathlete Kevin Piette, a former tennis player who sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident 11 years ago, became the first person to carry the Olympic Torch in an exoskeleton.

Kevin Oldt demonstrated the technology inside Empower+ on Good Shepherd’s Center Valley campus on Aug. 28. Oldt sustained a spinal cord injury in a snowmobiling accident several years ago, leaving him paralyzed.

“It feels really good to stand,” Oldt said with a smile before the assembled crowd.

Beginning this summer, Good Shepherd’s specially-trained clinical teams have had trials of the Wandercraft’s Atalante X with inpatient rehab patients at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, 3200 Center Valley Parkway, Upper Saucon Township.

This fall, the exoskeleton will be available for outpatient neurorehabilitation patients at Good Shepherd’s Hyland Center for Health & Technology, 850 S. Fifth St., Allentown.

Hands-free robotic exoskeletons allow patients with severe impairments to stand up and walk under the trained guidance of Good Shepherd therapists.

The benefits of hands-free exoskeletons are: improved endurance, increased step counts during walking, increased flexibility, the ability to use hands during functional balance activities, and pain and spasticity management.

The Wandercraft technology, available in the U.S., Europe and South America, comes to Good Shepherd courtesy of The Fleming Center for Robotics in Rehabilitation, which identifies and tests robotic and wearable technology.

The Fleming Center was launched in November 2023 through a major gift from the Fleming Foundation to Good Shepherd.

“We are excited about the potential of this new type of exoskeleton to revolutionize patient care,” said Emily Lyter, PT, DPT, administrative director of Good Shepherd Learns, Creates and Research, the team that oversees the Fleming Center at Good Shepherd.

“Without having to use crutches or a walker for balance, Atalante allows a more diverse range of movement patterns we use in our daily lives. Aside from walking, patients can practice activities of daily living, such as reaching for a cup in a cupboard, setting a dinner table or even playing a modified game of pickleball,” Lyter said.

“Through the Fleming Center for Robotics in Rehabilitation and the incredible support of the Fleming Foundation, we’re able to test, trial and adopt new technologies for our patients,” said Lyter.

Information: 1-888-447-3422 (44-REHAB); www.goodshepherdrehab.org