Possibilities Through Prosthetics

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07/26/2023 - 01:30 PM

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 26, 2023 / Arrow Electronics

A New Arm for Sasha

When 9-year old Sasha awoke in the hospital, she asked the surgical nurse, "'Please be honest: Do I have a left hand or not?"

Sasha's family was escaping Ukraine when Russian forces attacked their refugee convoy. Her stepfather was killed and she was severely wounded. Doctors on the front lines amputated Sasha's left arm.

Nearly 5,000 miles away in upstate New York, Easton LaChappelle and his medical device startup Unlimited Tomorrow (UT) learned of Sasha's ordeal and went to work on a smart prosthetic arm to give her a more normal life with the help of technology. UT is a customer of Arrow Digital, North American Components and Design Engineering.

UT's product, called TrueLimb costs less than $10,000. Fitted on the patient's residual arm, it works by reading muscle data through dozens of sensors embedded within the socket. This data then controls several different grips and movements. TrueLimb helps patients lift as much as 15 pounds while and perform fine motor skills like holding a bottle or a mobile phone. It also provides some touch sensations.

The bionic limbs are custom crafted for the patient using 3D scanning, 3D modeling, 3D printing and smart algorithms. This process shortens the time it takes to deliver prosthetic arms, solves accessibility issues, and reduces the price of a high functioning prosthetic arm significantly.

An Ambitious Technology Solution that Makes Life Better

Due to her injuries and age, Sasha's prosthetic is the most ambitious device UT has developed and its first above-elbow solution.

The entire prosthesis weighs under three pounds - a record for a pediatric device of its kind, but necessary for a child Sasha's age and size.

Once fitted, Sasha immediately had control of the device through nerve signals in her residual arm. She was able to interact with her mother and pick up objects in her first training session.

A year after her ordeal, Sasha lives in Canada with her mother and sister. She is attending school.

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