An Affordable Prosthetic Hand

Arm and hand amputees may soon have a prosthetic that lets them type, shake hands, and use a computer mouse—and they won't have to refinance their home to get one. Brain Robotics, a startup led by Bicheng Han, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, is developing an Electromyography (EMG)-controlled upper-limb robotic prosthesis that can be directly controlled using muscle signal. Where similar devices cost between $40,000 and $60,000, Brain Robotics plans to sell the device for around $3k-5k. "We want to help more people live the life they want where they couldn't before because a prosthetic was so expensive," says Brain Robotics strategic lead Sicong Shan. "We want to make this technology affordable for as many people as possible." Brain Robotics is a sister company of BrainCo, another Han-founded startup incubated in the Harvard innovation labs. BrainCo's Focus 1 wearable headband detects and quantifies students' attention levels in the classroom. Last year, the company inked a distribution deal for 20,000 units. An Affordable Robotic Hand Shan and software and algorithm lead Junqing Quio say they can slash costs by making the hand's fitting and installation process easier. Traditionally, they say doctors go through multiple iterations to get the shape and fit exactly right. That means multiple doctor visits and multiple handcrafted connective sockets for the patient, which more than doubles the cost of the device. Brain Robotics uses 3D scanning and printing to make cu...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: 3-D Printing Source Type: news