Arrow Electronics is supporting Unlimited Tomorrow’s campaign to manufacture and distribute 100 free robotic prosthetics for those in need.
When adversity strikes, the last thing one needs is a huge bill to alleviate it. But that is what happens with many who lose limbs to accidents, birth defects or someone’s war. The prosthetics that are supposed to improve lives of the physically challenged can cost anywhere between $30,000 and $100,000 per device—yet another challenge for them to overcome.
A startup called Unlimited Tomorrow wants to change that, and Arrow Electronics is helping fund its first 100 prosthetics that they are donating to 100 deserving amputees.
Unlimited Tomorrow aims to create an intuitive and scalable model for custom devices that leverage the latest technologies—3D scanning, 3D printing and machine learning—to not only achieve a better fit but a significant cost reduction.
The company has built this product from the ground up using custom actuators, elaborate electronic boards, software, new muscle sensors and a full back-end system to automate the creation process.
To make its wireless-charging robotic prosthetics fit perfectly, Unlimited Tomorrow scans the opposing limb to construct a mirror image and better estimate the missing limb. The company uses 3D printers to match skin tones as well as imperfections like freckles. The arms include magnetic fingernails that can be painted and offer haptic feedback to give users a sense of touch.
LEGO to Limbs
Founder and CEO, Easton LaChappelle, started at age 14 with a robotic hand built out of LEGOs, fishing line, electrical tubing, motors from model airplanes and, perhaps most importantly, unfettered curiosity that took him to robotics experts over Skype.
By age 16, LaChappelle had printed a robotic hand, powered by a windshield-wiper motor and controlled by brainwaves from an EEG headset. He submitted the project in a science fair, where he met a young girl with a limited-motion prosthetic arm that cost $80,000. The girl’s close examination of the robotic arm and her attention to detail, like finger movement, informed LaChappelle that a new approach was necessary to building prosthetics.
The science fair catapulted LaChappelle into education and fame. From the meeting with President Obama, a summer internship with NASA, help from Microsoft and mentoring and investment by self-help guru Tony Robbins was born Unlimited Tomorrow. The company’s mission: Make technology accessible to those who need it most.
“The technology that we create has a deep personal impact on a person,” said LaChappelle. “We get emails from around the world every day from people who can benefit from our technology. All of this is the driving force to make the best technology we can to solve this problem at a global level.”
Unlimited Tomorrow’s participation in crowdfunding via Indiegogo started an investment relationship that, along with partner MicroVentures, has helped the company bring its total funding to $1.6 million.
Arrow Certification
While funding has paved the way ahead for LaChappelle, partnerships, industry expertise and amputees themselves are driving the project forward. For instance, the company has nurtured a community of amputees guiding product design for the last four years.
“We work very closely with a number of amputees to understand their daily struggles, both physically and psychologically, so we can create metrics and tests to solve these,” explained LaChappelle.
And pulling it all together to take the validated model to production readiness is the Arrow Certification Program. Arrow has been helping Unlimited Tomorrow by making available an expert who provides support to guide the design idea to production and organizes resources as needed. Arrow’s input has informed prototype and board development as well as component selection.
“Unlimited Tomorrow has received anywhere from sourcing help to technical conversations, so we can implement the best tech into our product,” said LaChapelle. “This has helped a lot as we are designing a product for tomorrow with scalability in mind. This changes the way you design from a prototype level and the manufacturers and contracted services you use. Arrow has made all of these great connections and helped us design for scale with cost in mind.”
Backing 100 Tomorrows
LaChappelle has launched the 100 Tomorrows Campaign to provide 100 prosthetic arms for free to those who need them. With the largest single contribution that Arrow Electronics has ever made to an Indiegogo campaign, the $150,000 in funding will enable Unlimited Tomorrow to change the lives of at least 15 amputees.
Supporting entrepreneurs is not new to Arrow. The company continues to select entrepreneurs for funding based on innovation, marketability and impact on people’s lives. By funding Unlimited Tomorrow, Arrow supports its mission of guiding innovation forward.
Have a great tech idea? Join the Arrow Certification Program today to access benefits including engineering support, product discounts, Flash Funding opportunities and more.