PSYONIC, featured in Chicago Tribune, works to create affordable bionic limbs

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Wednesday August 2, 2017: Psyonic, a startup company at EnterpriseWorks that was launched in 2015, is changing the way that people with prosthetic limbs are navigating their way through life. The company’s mission is to deliver advanced, neurally controlled prosthetics that are more advanced and more affordable than other state-of-the-art prosthesis that are currently avaible on the market. They were featured in the Chicago Tribune to shed light on how much their prosthesis could benefit those who could really use them. 

Retired Army Sgt. Garrett Anderson, a University of Illinois Masters student who is currently studying rehabilitation counseling, lost his right hand and part of his forearm in 2005 after an improvised explosive device exploded under his truck while he was serving in Iraq. He has been searching for a prosthetic that would be helpful, without being costly or cumbersome–which is exactly what PYSONIC could provide, with just a little more funding. 

Aadeel Akhtar, Psyonic’s co-founder, said that Psyonic prosthetic limbs are 20 percent lighter than the average human hand weight, and has a distinctive flesh-like feel with flexibility that mirrors human tissue. It also costs less than a tenth in raw materials than other prosthesis on the market, which makes it very appealing to those in need. 

In July, Psyonic launched an Indiegogo campaign with the goal of raising $250,000. So far they have raised $5,000, and the campaign is ending on the 18th of August. The money that is raised by the Indiegogo campaign will be used to earn FDA approval, which is necessary to take the prosthetic to the market, and insurance coverage, as well as build an initial batch of 50 hands. 

To read the full article from the Chicago Tribune, click here.

To support, or to check out their Indiegogo campaign, go to their campaign page here.