Axiles Bionics, a 2019 spin-off from the BruBotics robotics group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, makes prosthetic feet that imitate the human ankle. Founder and CEO Pierre Cherelle began the research as a doctoral student. Its EIC project, Solaris, set out to build "next-generation bionic prostheses combining advanced robotics & AI", sold under a "Prosthetics-as-a-Service" model with monitoring, predictive maintenance and upgrades, according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,500,000 towards a €3.80 million project from July 2023 to February 2026. The only published report says development was "progressing towards a commercial product: AI-powered active-power electromechanical device". In June 2025 Axiles closed the first €6 million of an €8 million Series A led by PE Group, with the EIC Fund and Finance&Invest.brussels, to sell its existing Lunaris foot and advance the next device, "currently in advanced development". Its website lists only Lunaris products.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Axiles Bionics, BE0719695854, Brussels
- Founded
- January 2019
- Founders
- Pierre Cherelle (CEO), Felipe Gomez (CTO), Claire Cherelle (CRO), Jacques Langhendries (CFO)
- Products
- Lunaris Essential, Lunaris IO and IO+ (CE-marked, FDA-cleared)
- Investors
- PE Group, EIC Fund, Finance&Invest.brussels
- Staff
- 12 on average (2025)
- EIC project
- Solaris, 1 Jul 2023 to 28 Feb 2026, closed
Where Axiles Bionics Stands Now
Lunaris went on sale in January 2023 in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, according to the company's launch announcement. By 2025 Axiles said it was "CE-marked, FDA-cleared, and reimbursed across multiple countries" and that "clinical adoption is rising sharply". The powered device funded by the EIC has not been launched. Its articles of association were amended twice in 2025, Belgian register publications show.
"Axiles Bionics exemplifies the kind of science-driven innovation Europe needs to stay globally competitive in health technology and human-centric robotics."
Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair, EIC Fund Board, June 2025The Technology: An Artificial Achilles Tendon
Lunaris uses an elastic tendon connected to an anatomical ankle joint that stores and releases energy while walking. Solaris goes further: an AI-controlled motor drives the ankle up and down, adding push-off power. Cherelle has explained that a single motor strong enough would be too bulky, so the design combines a motor with springs and a freewheel mechanism. The application said more than 85% of test subjects called the design "a must-have".
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The project was to bring Solaris to market with a service model. The first-period report, updated in September 2024, shows development under way. No final report has been published, and the June 2025 funding release still described the device as in advanced development. CORDIS lists the project as closed.
- Powered foot developmentIn progressAdvanced development, 2025.
- Market launch of SolarisNot yetNot on product list.
- Follow-on fundingDelivered€6M with EIC Fund.
- Final reportingPendingNot on CORDIS.
The Money
Axiles's filings show a gross margin that rose from €100,468 in 2022 to €469,418 in 2024, then fell to €19,216 in 2025, while the loss doubled to €1.07 million, according to Companyweb. Equity reached €8.30 million after the Series A tranche. Belgian small-company accounts do not show revenue, so Lunaris sales are not public.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
How much the EIC Fund invested, when Solaris will launch, whether the last €2 million of the Series A closed and why gross margin fell in 2025 are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
In 2019 Cherelle told Le Soir that only about ten research groups worldwide were working on powered ankles, and Axiles argues that prosthetic feet "had barely evolved". The EIC backed a European device with both grant and equity. Its value to amputees depends on the powered foot reaching them.
What the project promised
An AI-powered bionic foot sold as a service with monitoring and upgrades.
What the record shows
A device still in development, a passive foot on sale, a €6 million raise and a doubled loss.
The Verdict
Funded, not yet delivered
Axiles has a real product and fresh investors, including the EIC Fund. The powered foot the EIC grant paid to develop had not reached the market when the project closed.
Axiles Bionics and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
