Renault ramps up its industrial robotics capabilities with a major investment into a French start-up robotics specialist to boost its automated vehicle production.

The automaker is taking an undisclosed minority stake in Wandercraft, which claims to be the first company to develop, manufacture and market medical self-balancing exoskeletons.

Renault plans to collaborate with Wandercraft in developing a new family of next-generation robots, initially for industrial production, dubbed Calvin.

Developers hope the project allows Renault to relieve its workers from onerous, non-ergonomic tasks while reducing production time and increasing productivity.

At a later stage, the partners expect to include the industrialization of robots and exoskeletons by the automaker, reducing costs through design-to-cost and scaling using its automotive expertise.

This could also help Wandercraft bring its new exoskeleton, called Eve, to the market and open new business opportunities in robotics.

Thierry Charvet, chief industry and quality officer for Renault, says the partnership is expected to advance business operations for both companies.

“It will drive productivity through the acceleration of production time and costs reduction,” Charvet says in a statement.