'Robot, Stand Up': Engineer Builds Robotic Exoskeleton To Help Wheelchair-Bound Son Walk

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A father in France is harnessing his robotics know-how to help his wheelchair-bound son walk. And the pair hope their creation will help others move again.

16-year-old Oscar Constanza has a genetic condition that prevents him from walking. But he's taking his first steps thanks to technology developed at his dad's company.

"One day Oscar said to me: 'Dad, you're a robotic engineer, why don't you make a robot that would allow us to walk?'" recalls his father, Jean-Louis Constanza, co-founder of Paris-based Wandercraft.

Constanza's creation starts with a command,"Robot, stand up." Fastened to his shoulders, chest, waist, knees and feet, the exoskeleton not only supports Oscar's weight but simulates body movement.

"Before, I needed someone to help me walk," Oscar tells Reuters. "This makes me feel independent."

Other companies across the world are racing to ditch the wheelchair and get people walking. That's exciting for people like Kevin Piette, 33, an exoskeleton pilot at Wandercraft who lost the ability to walk in a bike accident 10 years ago.

"This has huge benefits for me physically but also, emotionally and socially," he says.

Wandercraft's exoskeletons cost about 150,000 euros ($176,000) a piece and can already be found in hospitals in France, Luxembourg and the United States.