Personal Innovation / IP
Go Prosthetics
All the way back in middle school, I started a project to reduce the cost of lower limb prosthetics. I was assigned to work on the research portion of our Lego Robotics project for FIRST Robotics. I started out by researching some topics in the biomedical field, and landed on prosthetics after talking with a family friend who is a double amputee and prosthetist. He explained to me the gravity of the situation facing amputees both here in the US and all over the word. What I took away from this project was a simple idea and an understanding of the uphill battle that amputees face worldwide.
After my project ended, I had an extremely low resolution prototype for a low cost prosthetic device. This prototype consisted of a bucket, a prosthetic liner, and some hardening filler material. The idea was simple: take a basic shape, and mold the prosthetic around the residual limb. Although this design would never actually work, through revisions and re-designs, it could eventually work. There began my process of testing dozens of different filler materials, socket materials and shapes.
After years of playing around in my garage, I had narrowed my design down to a specific 3D printed shape and a specific filler material. Therefore I had to start testing to see if my designs actually worked.
I started out by reaching out to a few amputee support groups based in Portland Oregon and asking for volunteers. I started working closely with two local amputees by having them come in and test the fit of my sockets. With each fitting, i got more and more feedback. After 6 fittings with both of the amputees I had started to get the process, design and filler materials honed to a science.
I applied for a US Patent I and got accepted in 2014. The patented helped me begin the process of marketing my fitting system.
With my latest developments, I can fit a Go Prosthetics socket in less than 45 minutes, and for less than $200. This is a massive time and cost savings when compared to traditional prosthetics, which can take weeks and thousands of dollars to produce.
Our goals at Go Prosthetics LLC are to help expand access to prosthetics for uninsured and impoverished amputees around the world and to increase quality of care for recent amputees by providing low cost IPOPs.
Check out our website at www.goprosthetics.com for some more information about what we are doing. Scroll to the bottom to see a hidden version of my patent (helps protect my IP during the beginning phases of licensing)
Wall Framing System
Patented wall framing system designed for the quick erection of low and mid-rise buildings. Allows for large spans and open spaces. Walls are load bearing and are welded together offsite.
The inspiration for this system began by looking at homes made out of shipping containers. The idea of quickly assembling modular housing was really appealing to my dad and I (he is a developer and formerly owned a construction company). We began the process of designing a modular frame that could be stacked together quickly and finished after they were stacked. Through meetings with structural engineers and many changes to our design, we landed on the design of a wall system which could be stacked together.
The walls are welded offsite, trucked in and placed in position by means of a crane. The walls are located and fastened using concrete anchors in the floor below them. The walls are connected above by a modular floor joist onto which concrete is poured.
The whole process eliminates onsite welding, reduces crane and construction crew time, therefore saving money. We patented the system in 2015 and the system was used on a dialysis center a year later. See below for the patent.
My Patents
Patent for the wall framing system
Screenshot of the patent for my prosthetic fitting system