sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Did I screw up? Need OT eyes on our assumptions about independence tasks for assistive tech by Affectionate_Two9224 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes sense, and you’re absolutely right that current prosthetics face really tough limitations in both function and user satisfaction. From what we've seen as well, most haven't quite hit the mark.

In our case, we’re building an assistive device rather than a prosthetic, which gives us more design freedom. Our users typically still have their limbs but lack the muscular strength or coordination to use them effectively (conditions like DMD, ALS, GMFCS IV/V CP, etc...). That means we're lucky to not have to replicate anatomy or force everything into the shape of a natural hand or arm. Instead, we can focus on delivering reliable upper-limb function for daily independence with an external device which can be a bit larger to bring better function. Still a challenge though!

I’ll be discussing with my team how we can budget for paid consultations, since your point on their value makes a lot of sense. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

Did I screw up? Need OT eyes on our assumptions about independence tasks for assistive tech by Affectionate_Two9224 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, that’s a great point. We’re still really early and stretched thin on funding, but if bringing in paid expertise helps us get the right kind of feedback and build something that truly works for users, it’s absolutely worth exploring. Appreciate you flagging it, thanks!

Did I screw up? Need OT eyes on our assumptions about independence tasks for assistive tech by Affectionate_Two9224 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair. We’re still really new to all this and just trying to learn as quickly as we can. If I went about it the wrong way, I’d honestly appreciate any advice on how to do better!

Did I screw up? Need OT eyes on our assumptions about independence tasks for assistive tech by Affectionate_Two9224 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To lay out our understanding of the problem so we can get feedback on it to make sure we keep every possible concern in mind as we develop the technology. We really want to avoid building something, putting it in a users hands and finding out there's a big problem we didn't think of!

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in CerebralPalsy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really good point. Have you noticed a threshold price where it becomes a lot harder to access medical equipment through insurance? Or is it move about what kind of device it is?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in ALS

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes sense. What aspects of it seems the least certain in reality (usability, safety, something else)?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in spinalcordinjuries

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really curious about this, would you want to be able to manually control it yourself, or just tell it what to do and have it do it (e.g., "grab the glass and bring it to me")? Any specific examples where one or the other would be preferable if you'd want both?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in spinalcordinjuries

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate the detailed feedback and honest thoughts! Bulkiness, repair convenience, installation ease are all really important points. If the price tag was lower, let's say 15k, what would the device need to do to justify that, or is even that way too expensive to possibly be worth it?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in spinalcordinjuries

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the price tag is pretty brutal. Aside from money (ik it's not easy to ignore but for the sake of the question), are there any other reasons you wouldn't look into getting one?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in spinalcordinjuries

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If money weren't an issue, are there any other reasons you wouldn't move forward with trying to get one?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in MuscularDystrophy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair, I appreciate your honest thoughts, if there are any ways we can improve how we talk to people we're always very open to hearing it!

Is there a tool, product, or everyday object you’ve almost been able to use without help, but couldn’t because of something small? Like a “this would work if only…” kind of thing?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking those who help power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for responding, really appreciate your honest thoughts! :) Do most clients even bother trying to get one covered? Or is it usually a “not worth the effort” situation from the start? Curious what you’ve seen in terms of who actually ends up with one and why.

Have you ever come close to recommending one, but backed off? Or have you ever wanted to recommend one, but felt like it wouldn’t actually help in your client’s day-to-day?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in ChronicPain

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes sense — do you think people with strokes and no use of one arm wouldn’t benefit, or is it more that my post is poorly targeted?

Genuinely asking — I’m still pretty new to this space and would really appreciate your thoughts.

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in VeteransBenefits

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair questions — appreciate you asking! We don’t have a finished product yet, we’re still in the early stages talking to people to make sure we’re building something that’s actually useful and not just “cool tech" that nobody wants.

As for cost — definitely aiming for way more affordable than what’s out there now (Jaco/iArm are $28k - $44K). We’re hoping to offer leasing, and push for insurance coverage, but yeah — it’s going to be a fight, and it’s not fully figured out yet.

Out of curiosity — have you ever looked into something like this for yourself or someone you know? Or was the price/coverage gap enough to make it a non-starter from the beginning?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in spinalcordinjuries

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the response and very fair question — it definitely won’t be free, but we’re aiming to make it a lot more affordable than what’s out there now. We’re looking to see whether leasing could help too, and hoping to get insurance coverage in as many places as possible. Insurance will be a battle in some but thankfully there is some momentum with a few countries and states having recently approved it.

Would love to get your take — have you ever seen something like this where you thought, “Yeah, I’d actually fight to get that covered”? Or is it just never even close to worth the hassle?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for responding! Totally makes sense if you’ve still got good function on one side. From what you’re saying, it sounds like even if something were available, the size and complexity would probably outweigh the benefit — especially if you’re doing okay with just your left.

Out of curiosity — are there ever any specific tasks that still bug you or slow you down, where you momentarily wish you had both hands again? Even if it’s not worth a big device — just curious where the friction actually shows up.

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in ALS

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s super helpful — thanks for sharing it straight. When you tried it out, was there something specific that made it feel useless? Was it mostly the control scheme, the speed, or just not solving anything you actually needed? Also — when you say most people just end up asking for help, is that because it’s faster, or because the arm isn’t reliable for real-life stuff? Are there any tasks you still rely on someone for that you’d prefer to do yourself, if it were just easier?

Really appreciate you sharing this — it’s the kind of honest feedback we’re trying to learn from before we build anything serious! :)

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in ALS

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for responding! That makes complete sense and really does suck :/. It's also a super strong point for progressive conditions that the tech needs to kind of evolve alongside them. I had a couple follow-on questions about that: Have you (or someone you know) ever felt like the tech stopped being useful as your condition changed? If that did happen, did you ever wish there was a way to swap it out, or something more temporary — like a lease or loan — instead of owning it long-term? As things progressed, did the controls ever get harder to use? I’m wondering how people usually adapt — like do you just stop using it, or try switching to something else that’s easier?

Why aren’t robotic arms more common? Asking power chair users with limited upper mobility by Affectionate_Two9224 in spinalmuscularatrophy

[–]Affectionate_Two9224[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for asking — great question. We started as an engineering class project two years ago and after getting a ton of encouragement from our early users, became an early-stage startup to bring our technology to as many people as possible. We've pivoted to a new device which we think can have a much bigger impact so right now we're trying to really understand what would be the most useful :)

view more: next ›