Month: July 2023

A New Arm for Sasha

When 9-year old Sasha awoke in the hospital, she asked the surgical nurse, “’Please be honest: Do I have a left hand or not?”

Sasha’s family was escaping Ukraine when Russian forces attacked their refugee convoy. Her stepfather was killed and she was severely wounded. Doctors on the front lines amputated Sasha’s left arm.

Nearly 5,000 miles away in upstate New York, Easton LaChappelle and his medical device startup Unlimited Tomorrow (UT) learned of Sasha’s ordeal and went to work on a smart prosthetic arm to give her a more normal life with the help of technology. UT is a customer of Arrow Digital, North American Components and Design Engineering.

UT’s product, called TrueLimb costs less than $10,000. Fitted on the patient’s residual arm, it works by reading muscle data through dozens of sensors embedded within the socket. This data then controls several different grips and movements. TrueLimb helps patients lift as much as 15 pounds while and perform fine motor skills like holding a bottle or a mobile phone. It also provides some touch sensations.

The bionic limbs are custom crafted for the patient using 3D scanning, 3D modeling, 3D printing and smart algorithms. This process shortens the time it takes to deliver prosthetic arms, solves accessibility issues, and reduces the price of a high functioning prosthetic arm significantly.

An Ambitious Technology Solution that Makes Life Better

Due to her injuries and age, Sasha’s prosthetic is the most ambitious device UT has developed and its first above-elbow solution.

The entire prosthesis weighs under three pounds – a record for a pediatric device of its kind, but necessary for a child Sasha’s age and size.

Once fitted, Sasha immediately had control of the device through nerve signals in her residual arm. She was able to interact with her mother and pick up objects in her first training session.

A year after her ordeal, Sasha lives in Canada with her mother and sister. She is attending school.

About Arrow Electronics: 
Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 220,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2022 sales of $37.1 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that improve business and daily life. Learn more at fiveyearsout.com.

Formula E, the all-electric motorsport championship that is quickly gaining popularity around the world, showcases automotive innovation at the highest levels. From race strategy to car design to a focus on best-in-class electric battery power, it’s no surprise that this sport is increasingly considered a source of inspiration for the future of mobility.

In fact, technology advancements being developed and tested at the racetrack may soon make their way to the consumer electric vehicle (EV) market.

As the title sponsor and technology partner* for the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team, TCS knows this firsthand. TCS futurists took a look inside a Gen3 Formula E racecar to envision what the future of mobility may look like in the coming years. It’s a bright future, one in which technologies like digital twins, which were recently highlighted by TCS’ Digital Twindex report as transforming the automotive space within three years, will help consumers drive more safely, sustainably, and with more satisfaction.

A Safer Way to Drive

On the racetrack, advanced technology such as lightweight materials, digital twins, sensors, and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) make it possible for Formula E cars to race at top performance, without sacrificing driver safety. Potential mechanical issues can be identified in advance, leveraging a digital twin of the car to predict which parts may fail and recommending preventative maintenance measures well in advance of any issues. At the same time, just as technology is used to predict the car’s performance, sensors and data analytics can be used to monitor the driver’s health to keep them as safe as possible.

These features will be invaluable for everyday consumers, helping to keep their cars functioning well and avoiding common driving problems.

Sustainability Without Sacrificing Performance

When it comes to sustainability, the transition to electric vehicles is already happening across the world. As we can see from Formula E – the world’s first net zero motorsport – with the latest EV technology, it is realistic to have a sustainable driving experience without sacrificing automotive performance. If this is true on the racetrack, it’s doubly true for the highway.

While early battery technology necessitated lengthy charging stops, improvements mean that batteries will be lighter, store more energy, and charge much faster. In what could be one of the most compelling EV innovations ever, we may even be headed to a future where power could be transmitted wirelessly, with EVs recharging while in motion on the road.

A Better Automotive Experience for Everyone

In addition to a safer and more sustainable driving experience, the future of mobility will simply be more enjoyable for the driver, with AI and automation making it easier to access driving information and communicate with the wider world.

Informed by rapid advancements in motor sports like Formula E, it’s clear that the future of mobility will help make the world a better place for everyone.

For more information about Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E, please visit: https://www.tcs.com/who-we-are/sports-sponsorships/jaguar-tcs-racing-formula-e-data-analytics