My goal is to help people. And curiosity has gotten me here. When I was 14, I had an idea, so I went to the internet – Easton LaChapelle The average prosthetic limb costs 60 000$ Easton’s prototype was created for 350$ Luminaries UPROXX The Story Easton LaChappelle is 19-year-old. At 14, he made his first robotic hand out of LEGO’s, fishing wire and electrical tubing. He taught himself everything…He learned from Internet.He made this robotic hand in his…bedroom! With his gradual improvement, the hand turned into an arm and advanced to a 3D-printed brain-powered invention that he could operate with his mind. After an encounter with a 7-year-old girl at a science fair whose prosthetic arm cost $80,000 (and would need to be replaced when she outgrew it), LaChappelle was inspired to turn his prototype into a practical and affordable device. He has travelled the world spreading the message that you can learn outside of the education system (Business Innovation Factory 9) and a TED talk about his journey also. You have to watch them. The educational system has boundaries, and you don’t have to work within the boundaries of systems. You can do things to achieve your own outcomes—that’s what I’m doing. To learn how to program the electronics and wireless communication technology, like the XBee , LaChappelle turned to online communities like Instructables ,SparkFun , and Hack a Day The Company: Unlimited Tomorrow Unlimited Tomorrow is developing a new concept of an exoskeleton to help paraplegics walk again. The company is also creating open source robotic arms that can be used from prosthetics to a robotics learning platform. Unlimited Tomorrow The prosthetic arm Now, the hand has more functionality than a traditional prosthesis and more strength than a human hand. The next generation can sustain 50 pounds of weight on an individual finger. “The strength of the hand is so great that it’s almost dangerous,” LaChappelle says. The system uses a wireless brain EEG headset that picks up 10 different channels of the brain to move the arm. And don’t forget his goal: to help people and make something useful. (The spark was this little 7 years old girl) So the prosthesis will be sold for less than $400! Next step for Easton Actually he accepted a intern job at NASA and is working on the Robonaut R2 R2 Robonaut Want to learn more? Video you watched was the first video in a series called Luminaries on UPROXX about some of the most influential individuals in science and technology. Youtube Chanel: https://www.youtube.com/user/HalfFullEffects Company: http://www.unlimitedtomorrow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/easton.lachappelle Twitter: https://twitter.com/EastonLaChappel Crowdfunding http://www.gofundme.com/3dProsthetics
