Wearables bringing back the ability to walk for paraplegics: this is the world in which Tristan Vouga is evolving. Passionate by the field of robotics and willing to have an impact on society, he turned his PhD thesis into the Swiss startup TWIICE.

The company is developing a modular exoskeleton, bringing back the ability for its users to stand, walk, climb stairs and even go on a ski tour!

Beyond the technological achievement and the numerous awards it has won in international contests, their platform has the potential to transform the lives of many paraplegics as well as amputees.

We talked with Tristan about his transition from PhD student to entrepreneur, about their exoskeleton capabilities, the feelings of “ownership, embodiment and agency” that are key to a seamless human-machine interaction, and about how innovation can be derived from science-fiction!

 

What we also talked about with Tristan:

• EPFL

• ETHZ

• Duke University

• ReHassist

• The Nicolelis Lab

• Neuralink

• The triad: embodiement-ownership-agency

• Boston Dynamics

• The Cybathlon

• The Global Innovation Challenge

• Blade Runner

• Testmate Health
   

We cited with Tristan some of the past episodes from “Impulse - Meeting Healthcare Pioneers”:

• #1 - Measuring your arterial age to prevent heart diseases - Ted Baldwin - Imageens
   

If you want to know more about TWIICE, we invite you to consult their website.
 

We also invite you to follow their activities on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
 

You can contact Tristan through LinkedIn or by email: tristan.vouga@twiice.ch
 

If you want to give me feedback on the episode, ask questions or suggest potential guests, feel free to do so through LinkedIn or by email: m.chaffard05@gmail.com

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