Intelligent TV programming and seminal events such as the Paralympics bring physical disability into the public eye. But how many of you were aware that the number of amputees worldwide stands at over 10 million or that, each year, more than 1 million people lose a limb?
For The Trailblazer series powered by Telefónica – where we discover millennial inventors using technology for social good – I was determined to find a founder making headway in the disability tech space. So when I stumbled across clever startup Cambridge Bio-Augmentation Systems (CBAS), I was instantly riveted.
Co-founders Oliver Armitage and Emil Hewage are working persistently to bring the wonders of future tech to the area of disability with some very promising early progress.
Their invention is a permanently integrated smart device that will act as the interface between the limb and any prosthesis, ie the connector between a patient’s soft-tissue or neural systems and their bionic device.
“As bionics become increasingly advanced, we’re still seeing an old fashioned and not fit for purpose stump-and-socket model, when it comes to attaching sophisticated technologies to limbs,” explains Oliver. His creation is based on advanced bioengineering, where his fascination with the field is longstanding. As a 17-year-old, he spent a great deal of time conjuring up ways to integrate bionics with disability and make the lives of amputees infinitely better.
The implanted device will provide an open standard connector to allow a plug-and-play prosthetic attachment. It is designed to reduce the pain and discomfort experienced by a patient wearing a prosthetic day in, day out, ultimately providing a higher quality of life. “It will also make the delivery of this care more affordable for healthcare providers and allow prosthetic manufacturers to form a new relationship with the consumer,” adds Oliver.
When might we expect this to be available for amputees? Given the nature of the device, it is likely to be subject to an array of regulatory approvals. Oliver explains that the product is currently in prototype stage, adding that the team were realistic about the timescales involved. They hope to bring this to market within the next few years and are about to commence pre-clinical trials.
Part of the Mass Challenge UK (MCUK) Accelerator programme’s 2015 cohort, they were also a much-deserved winner of the top honour at MCUK’s annual summit late last year. I see CBAS’ work as potentially game-changing for those in need. Don’t take my word for it, hear first-hand from both Oliver and an amputee in this episode:
Ultimately, CBAS wants to make full mobility an accessible reality and to standardise prosthetic connectors, bringing bionics into the mainstream. Now that’s a stellar example of tech-for-social-good if ever we heard one.
To learn more about the practical application of technology across the globe, Telefónica has commissioned the most comprehensive Index on Digital Life ever developed. It aims to assess the components that are essential to achieve a successful digital life, one of which is entrepreneurialism. You can read more here when it launches in March.
Shivvy Jervis is producer of The Trailblazers and Digital Futures – follow her on Twitter @shivvyjervis
