Lifebloom: technology to get out of the wheelchair

Lifebloom, a start-up, has secured 8 million euros to deploy its exoskeleton therapy. By combining mechanical assistance and connected objects, the company aims to restore independent walking to 1,000 patients by 2028 within healthcare facilities.

132 million people globally lose their motor independence. In such a context, hospital sedentariness remains a major obstacle. Systematic use of traditional wheelchairs limits physical activity to supervised rehabilitation sessions.

Lifebloom offers an integrated therapy called Lifebloom One, centered around Oxilio. This mechanical exoskeleton wheelchair supports the user because “the goal is for you not to weaken but to use the maximum of your strength,” says Damien Roche, co-founder and CEO.

This device reduces body weight by up to 80% to facilitate standing up. Safety is maintained at the pelvis, freeing the hands. The co-founder specifies that “it is up to you to make the movements” to stimulate neural plasticity.

The company integrates connected objects to monitor progress in real time. The need for precise measurements on the number of steps or time spent standing was acknowledged.

Validated at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, this technology has allowed post-stroke patients to increase their activity time by sixfold. The start-up now deploys “Walking Units” to industrialize this protocol within hospital services.

While the hospital is the first step, the ultimate ambition is to enable home maintenance. The CEO emphasizes that “we want our solution to be reimbursed” by the healthcare system through a long-term rental model accessible to a wide range of people.

Founded in 2019, the company has just raised 6 million euros through capital and 2 million euros via the national France 2030 plan to equip 30 centers. The co-founder concludes that “this is not a traditional fundraising, it is a coalition around a public health issue.”