New Device From AT&T Could Help People With Prosthetic Limbs
Boston Marathon bombing survivor Marc Fucarile holds his thigh socket as he tests a variety of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees, during a visit to the Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. Charles Krupa/AP
The wearable device collects troves of data.
New wearable technology is coming to help patients who use prosthetic limbs.
AT&T has partnered with prosthetic provider Hanger Clinic to develop a network-connected device for patients, Engadget reports.
The device has an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer to gather data on the prosthesis, on how it moves and functions. Then, using AT&T's LTE-M network the device can upload that data to the cloud, without needing Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Doctors can then use that data to adjust tweak the prosthetic to better suit the patient's needs. The patients are also privy to this data, which they can monitor daily using an iOS app.
The devices, which focus on prosthetic legs, are currently undergoing trial testing.
"Because this device is intended to become a physical part of Hanger's patients, the technology driving it needed to be intuitive and seamless while providing benefits to both the patient and the caregiver," said Vishy Gopalakrishnan, vice president of AT&T Ecosystem & Innovation.
The Defense Department and its experimental agency DARPA are also researching and testing advanced prosthetic limb technology, which can be controlled with the patient's mind.