Coapt LLC and WillowWood have announced a partnership to develop a new liner for more advanced and comfortable use of upper extremity prostheses, according to a press release.
The new prosthetic liner will be the product of research from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago — and will feature embedded electrodes, which will give users improved control over their myoelectric devices. According to the release, the liner will combine interface materials and design from WillowWood with innovative pattern recognition solutions from Coapt. The targeted release for the liner is 2018.
“We are excited to partner with Coapt to provide a new leading-edge interface option for the upper extremity prosthetic market,” Matthew Wernke, PhD, applied research engineer at WillowWood, said in the release. “Our complementary technologies are supported by years of research, development and patient testing with our partners at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Center for Bionic Medicine. The collaboration of our organizations is ideal because we’re each motivated by designing the most positive and versatile prosthetic option for upper extremity amputees.”
According to the release, Coapt is the only company with FDA class II clearance to provide intuitive control systems for prosthetic arms. WillowWood designs, manufactures and distributes prosthetic devices.
“WillowWood shares Coapt’s vision of enhancing the lives of the many thousands of amputees and people with congenital limb differences, allowing them to participate in work and other daily routines with ease,” Gerald Stark, PhD, director of clinical innovation at Coapt, said in the release. “Bringing together our groundbreaking technologies will greatly benefit those who use advanced upper limb prostheses.”
References:
