But even though users loved it, the iBOT went out of production in 2009 when Johnson & Johnson discontinued it. "I was very disappointed," says disabled veteran Gary Linfoot, a former Army helicopter pilot. "I knew my tent was up, I had one, but I knew there were other people out there who could use this device, this technology and it would not be available to them." .............................. From the context, 'my tent was up', seems to mean 'I was OK' or 'I was all set'. He had nothing to worry about because he already had his iBOT, but he was concerned that other disabled people weren't so lucky. Perhaps it's an image from camping and/or the military? If you imagine, for example, a scout trip or an army exercise, where each man has to put up his tent for the night, perhaps in bad weather or difficult conditions. If your 'tent is up', you can relax and feel fortunate. You know that you'll be OK because you've got shelter for the night. Meanwhile, your colleagues are less fortunate, because they're still struggling to put their tents up. Just a guess.

Further to the other answers, it could potentially be a made-up metaphor. A lot of people like to invent their own phrases when they're describing things ;)

It's just a metaphor. I listened to it. He was expressing his sentiment: He felt lucky but it was bittersweet, since he knows production stopped, and others in his same situation won't have access to this specialized wheelchair, that can climb stairs.

I have never ever heard this expression before. I read the article and then googled the expression. I found nothing. He seems to be referring to his wheelchair, but I have no idea why he would use those words, unless he had a nickname for it...