Despite today's technological advancements in robotics, prosthetic limbs are--by and large--fairly low-tech.
But a Chicago startup is turning prothetic arms and hands into fully-functioning body parts that amputees can operate as if they were real working limbs--just by willing the device to move.
The startup, Coapt, officially launched in 2012 and is a company spun off of technology invented more than a decade ago at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Coapt uses sensors placed on a person's muscle tissue to decode electrical signals that a user’s remaining muscles make. As the brain sends information to the absent limb, the person is able to move the prosthetic intuitively.
The end result is a prosthetic that moves similarly to a real hand or arm, said Coapt CEO and co-founder Blair Lock.
"We are bringing a modern level of control to these prosthetic arms," Lock said, who founded Coapt alongside Todd Kuiken, Levi Hargrove and Jonathan Sensinger. "These are fantastic pieces of engineering, and they deserve really good control systems. That's what we focus on."
Coapt doesn't make the prosthetic itself, but rather the electronics--i.e. the "brain"--inside device. Coapt works as a "plug-and-play" for prothetic makers who use the technology to improve the functionality of their devices. It sells its tech to medical providers and works with several manufacturers of artificial limbs.
Earlier this week the startup announced it has obtained a Food and Drug Administration Class II medical device clearance for its technology, making it the only company of its kind to be cleared for marketing in the US by the FDA. It's not the only company tackling prosthetic limb control, however. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland are also working in the space.
"It's a pretty impactful and significant milestone," Lock said. "We’re the first player in our field to achieve this level of clearance."
Coapt has kept a small team--less than 10--and is profitable, Lock said, adding that the company hasn't taken on any venture funding.
Coapt plans to eventually expand into lower body prosthetics, Lock said.
"Prosthetics are really the ultimate wearable," he said. "It's really revolutionary because the incumbent technology was really cumbersome in how an individual can command their prosthetic arm. What we do is quite unique. It adds a level of natural and intuitive control to the wearer."
