.gif)
Friday 29 Nov 2013 @ 10:25
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Succes story: The bionic men at RSLSteeper
Karl Chapin has spent the past 40 years hiding the various prosthetic hands he has used to replace the one he lost as a US paratrooper in the Vietnam War.
Not any more. Now he has a bebionic3 hand from RSLSteeper and he wants the world to see it. ‘It makes me feel good to wear it. I don't want to hide this. I've fallen in love with this hand.'
Prosthetics aren't generally something people show off but this one is, so it changes the mind-set of the people who wear it - Ted Varley, Technical Director of RSLSteeper's prosthetics division
That's a reaction that Ted Varley, Technical Director of RSLSteeper's Prosthetics Division, sees a lot.
‘Prosthetics aren't generally something people show off but this one is, so it changes the mind-set of the people who wear it.
In 2009 it got Technology Strategy Board backing for a project that has radically changed the technology for artificial hands, as well as its business
‘It's pretty amazing psychologically. I went to New York recently with someone who was wearing one and it was like being with a celebrity,' said Ted.
And it wouldn't have happened without the Technology Strategy Board.
RSLSteeper started building prosthetics for wounded soldiers in 1921 and has been supplying upper limb replacements to UK patients ever since. Then in 2009, it got Technology Strategy Board backing for a project that has radically changed the technology for artificial hands, as well as its business.
Robotically versatile
The product that eventually came out of that project, the bebionic3, combines function and style in a way never possible before. Because each digit has its own tiny robotic motor, it can offer 14 different grips. That means much more versatility for the user when it comes to everyday tasks like eating meals, carrying bags, switching on lights or even typing. ‘On the old design you could only open and close in a pincer grip. With our product you can wrap around and hold a wine glass,' said Ted.
It has opened us up to an international market which we didn't have before in countries like Brazil, Russia and the US - Ted Varley
That combination gives it an edge over the competition that has allowed RSLSteeper to move into new markets. ‘It has been a great thing for the company. It has opened us up to an international market which we didn't have before in countries like Brazil, Russia and the US.'
RSLSteeper has opened SteeperUSA in Texas and now about 10% of the company's £30m annual turnover comes from the US. ‘We wouldn't have been in the US without the project. It has allowed us to open a US office,' said Stephen Parker, Vice President, SteeperUSA.
Click here for the full success story and further information.
Click here for the full success story and further information.
