Easton LaChappelle, a 14-year-old from Colorado, built a robotic hand using LEGOs, fishing wire, and electrical tubing for $300. He said, "I found out that her prosthesis had cost $80,000, only had a pinching device and would soon be outgrown." This invention later helped him start his company, Unlimited Tomorrow.
At 14, Colorado teenager Easton LaChappelle built a robotic hand using LEGOs, fishing wire and electrical tubing for about $300. After meeting a girl with an $80,000 prosthetic, he set out to make artificial limbs more affordable. His work later led to Unlimited Tomorrow, which developed the TrueLimb prosthetic arm.
Easton LaChappelle from Colorado made a robotic hand in his bedroom. He used LEGOs, fishing wire, and electrical tubing. And then he learned 3D printing after a year and then he made a brain-controlled prosthetic arm. It landed him second place in engineering at the International Science and Engineering Fair, a handshake with President Obama at the White House Science Fair, and an internship on NASA's Robonaut team at Johnson Space Center, according to the Unlimited Tomorrow founder page.
The inspiration behind the innovationWhen he was at the science fair, he met a girl who wore an $80,000 prosthetic. That prosthetic hand could barely open and close. He then thought that he could make something at a cheaper price. He then made the $80,000 arm in his bedroom for just $300. According to Siemens, he said, "I found out that her prosthesis had cost $80,000, only had a pinching device and would soon be outgrown because it had taken a year to create."
After this incident, LaChappelle went to Technology, Entertainment Design (TEDx) talk in Denver, Colorado. While he talked about affordable and individualized prosthetic devices he was addressed by life coach Tony Robbins. Robbins then told him that he always helped people psychologically and wanted to help physically. When LaChappelle was 18, Robbins funded his startup, 'Unlimited Tomorrow.'
He launched Unlimited Tomorrow in 2014. According to Unlimited Tomorrow, LaChappelle built the company "from a one-person operation into a vertically integrated hardware company with a proprietary technology stack spanning 3D scanning, additive manufacturing, embedded sensors, haptic systems, and machine learning. The same platform that began with prosthetics now powers the company's expansion into wearable human-machine interfaces."
The challenges behind his prosthetic armHe also faced a few challenges. His early robotic arm weighed about eight pounds. That made it too heavy for many children who needed a prosthetic. He also had to make the device more affordable and comfortable to wear.
Children could outgrow a prosthetic arm within a few years and might need several replacements before reaching adulthood. Traditional devices could cost tens of thousands of dollars, and the process of getting fitted could take months.
LaChappelle and his team also wanted wanted each device to match the user's body, including the size, shape and appearance of the person's other arm.
Siemens later worked with Unlimited Tomorrow to improve that design process. Its NX engineering software helped the team make changes to the socket model more easily, reducing the need to restart the design process each time an adjustment was required.
According to Siemens, the company designed TrueLimb to be lighter and less expensive than many traditional prosthetic arms. Its process also allows users to be measured remotely, helping reduce the need for repeated in-person fittings.
Unlimited Tomorrow has since expanded its work beyond prosthetics. Its website now highlights two technology platforms: TrueLimb, its prosthetic arm, and TactraFlex, a glove designed to provide physical feedback during virtual and mixed-reality experiences.