UNB grads bring bionic prosthetics to symposium

Two University of New Brunswick graduates returned to Fredericton this week as industry experts on prosthetics for a symposium showing off new products and cutting edge medical technology.

More than 200 leading researchers and manufacturers of upper-body prosthetics attended the event, hosted by the university's Institute of Biomedical Engineering.

One bionic product, a pattern recognition controller, is run by two UNB grads now based in Chicago.

“This technology being released in Fredericton this week is the world's first of its kind for enhanced control of prosthetic devices,” said managing partner of CoApt Blair Lock.

Their product is designed to be installed inside existing prosthetic devices to help control them.

On one end it accepts inputs from the human body and on the other end it provides powered commands to move motors.
    
Retired U.S. Army veteran Glen Lehman said the device makes it easier to control his phantom arm if he's mimicking the movements with his left.
    
Lehman was one of the first patients to be fitted with this new controller. 

Lock says the next step is figuring out a way to allow amputees to actually feel what the prosthesis is doing.