By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Today, hand and arm amputees have just three options when it comes to prosthetics: one that is merely cosmetic, one that opens and closes by mechanically controlling a harness, and one that opens and closes by way of sensors glued on the skin over certain muscles. The first has no practical function, and the others have limited functions that are difficult to master.
Elkins Innovations, Inc., 301 Michigan NE, is about to change all that. A new prosthetic hand the company is developing will control an unprecedented eight functions: wrist flexion (up and down), thumb movement (in and out), and individual movement of each finger.
“An insole in a shoe has sensors for the pressure points of your foot,” said Sally Mulder, the company's president and owner. “It has a tiny battery and transmitter. When you put pressure on your big toe it activates that sensor and sends a signal to, let’s say, your index finger.”
Tests show that people can learn to put pressure on each individual toe and thereby control the prosthetic hand wirelessly.
“The hand we’re working on will change the person’s life,” Mulder said.
To-date, the R & D has been financed through nearly $300,000 in grants. Mulder expects to receive a $500,000 grant that will allow them to move from R&D to commercialization. She expects to introduce the hand to the market in about three years.
Early indicators predict the device will account for 15 to 20 percent of all new upper extremity prosthetics sold, with annual sales totaling over $20 million.
“One of the largest prosthetics companies told us, ‘If in your research a wearer says I don’t want to give this back’ you’ve got the market,” Mulder said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”
Source: Sally Mulder, Elkins Innovations, Inc.
Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.