helps people get back on their feet
helps people get back on their feet
"TWIICE is all about duality," Tristan repeats. We doubled the “I” in TWIICE on purpose, covering both meanings of the word “interface”. In English it translates for interface and surface as well: So here we are helping humans and robots become one.” Thanks to a motorized exoskeleton people get back on their feet. People who have lost the function of their lower limbs after a stroke or an accident.
When Tristan and the team founded TWIICE in 2021, there was one thing that motivated them the most: their desire to maximize the advantages of todays technology in order to help people. “For the right of a fulfilled life, our technology helps to bridge the gap of inequality in our society. We support people literally to get people back on their feet."
An exoskeleton is an external support structure: TWIICE’s clients wear it like pants. It has two small engines on each leg, one on the knee and one on the hip – both controlled by a built-in computer. Depending on the bodies remaining movement functions, the device is operated by using buttons on associated crutches. Another way to control the exoskeleton is based on the body posture of a client.
"Our exoskeletons are machine-learning," Tristan explains. "Virtually they adapt to the respective body and its functions. Since TWIICE was founded in 2021, the software’s handling has continually improved, as today the interface adapts more intuitively to the operating mode." Preliminary results from ongoing clinical studies show that clients are learning the device faster than expected. Within just a few sessions they’ll be able to walk different surfaces such as slopes and stairs.
As a global leader in the field, TWIICE continues to push the boundaries of technology for the benefit of humankind. Join the adventure of making the world a better place and have a significant impact on people's lives.
«During my PhD I developed the technology behind TWIICE. What matters to me is that people are given equal access to life. »
From an early age Tristan was fascinated by the opportunities offered by optimization: "When I watched my father cook, I was already thinking about exoskeletons." Tristan smiles. "I asked myself: How can the process of cooking be accelerated – let’s say with additional arms or tools, like a Swiss army knife?"
Today, Tristan is 32 years old, but his way of thinking follows the same patterns. "We develop the exoskeleton further, right in that moment when clients use them. For example, if someone doesn't feel enough support in their back, the product can be adapted. It only takes two days from the physical computerized redesign to implementation."
TWIICE has also innovated its manufacturing process: Therefore the exoskeleton combines an improved software with the high-quality performance of a medical device; its material is lighter and stronger than usual 3D printing. Thanks to the digital manufacturing process, TWIICE can produce both standardized and precisely customized devices quickly and easily.
Working from Renens in the canton of Vaud was a smart move: Thanks to its proximity to EPFL in Lausanne, a university institution dedicated to education, research and innovation, TWIICE is connected to the local ecosystem. For Tristan, the university became kind of a second home: This is where his project work on exoskeletons began in 2014, followed by the completion of his doctoral thesis on the same topic.
"We benefit from more specialist knowledge than anywhere else in the world," he says. "Plus, we are close to some of our major suppliers which gives us the opportunity to discuss new products with engineers and managers on site. Afterwards they’ll send all completed parts within a few days. It's a very streamlined process."
The TWIICE team is small but highly experienced in science: Currently it has five employees who contribute very specialist knowledge of medical devices/mechanics, mechatronics and scientific human factors. In a team like this, everyone does everything: they take inspiration from different robot manufacturers, look for investors, attend communication workshops for further training or work on the next innovations in their vitreous test arena. Right now, final clinical studies are underway to obtain final approval from medical regulators: such like in Switzerland and the USA - thus for market authorization. "It's a big challenge for all of us that we still have to wait until we finally will be able to produce on a larger scale," Tristan admits. "There is a lot to do and always something to improve. The fact that we do help people is our core and constant driver."