Updating body-powered Upper-Limb Prostheses

As the population of major upper-limb amputees in the UK is relatively small (around 9,000), it is imperative for Metacarpal to look at international markets. Prosthetics sales most commonly are made by recommendation from a prosthetist, who will then purchase the device from a distributor. Therefore, Metacarpal are looking to begin building relationships with international distributors as well as find user information that may vary between regions.

Glaze Prosthetics is a distributor based in Poland, although also have partnerships with clinics all over Eastern Europe, the USA and India, which account for the world's largest and growing markets - particularly the USA which is currently the world's largest market with the upper limb sector valued at $544 million. They have developed an innovative platform called I'AM which brings much of the prosthetics services online, enabling prosthetists to simply enter in measurements and a 3D scan of the residual limb, resulting in a perfectly fitting prosthetic socket. This is a far cheaper, quicker and eco-friendly system than the traditional casting process that is still used in most of the world. They are developing products which meet the new demand for bionic style that users can feel confident wearing and are particularly enthusiastic about body-powered devices due to their increased functionality.

We produce innovative new prosthetic hands that are entirely body-powered, making a partnership with Glaze Prosthetics most ideal. Within the study working together we will test out their manufacture methods, have our product evaluated by them and even find more information on the preferences of prosthesis users in this region. This all feeds directly into the following design process ensuring that the two companies can work together in the future.