When you‘re preparing to meet the founder and CEO of a startup that makes myoelectric prosthetics — those controlled by the electrical signals that muscles produce naturally when tensed up — you probably expect to come face-to-face with an idealist. You can almost imagine the reply when you ask the million-dollar question， “So what inspired you to help others？” Surely there’s some backstory involving a loved one losing a limb and a lifelong desire to give them back their mobility.

That‘s not the case for Genta Kondo， the co-founder and CEO of Tokyo-based Exiii. When Kondo entered Tokyo University’s Yokoi Lab， a testing ground for rehabilitation-focused robotics， he wasn‘t setting out on some idealistic mission to make the world a better place. Back in 2008， he was solely attracted to the science behind the lab’s prosthetic hands and power-assisted mobility devices.

“I was a basketball player and loved sports since I was a kid，” he tells Tech in Asia. “I had an interest in motor control — not motor as in engine， but the motor neuron， which is how the brain controls the body. In the beginning， I wasn‘t thinking about the social aspect or helping people， just the science.”

Kondo would go on to spend a year at Berkeley， eventually earning a master’s degree from Tokyo University‘s school of engineering. By the end of his tenure as a hardware researcher， he was unconvinced that robotic prosthetics would be accepted by the mainstream and adopted by amputees and those born with missing or partial limbs.

After graduating in 2011， he entered ubiquitous Japanese tech giant Sony to see if there was any true potential for bringing such devices to the mass market. Konda was sent to Sony’s now-defunct research and development division in Gotenyama — an area in Tokyo once nicknamed “Sony Town.” The firm officially exited the consumer robotics business in 2006， but Kondo was hired as a robotics researcher.

Though he admits to working on a robot — and having colleagues who had formerly worked on the AIBO robot dog and QRIO bipedal robot — Kondo says that he‘s still bound by a confidentiality agreement with Sony that prohibits him from discussing exactly what he did in Gotenyama.

Sony would have been a dream job for many， especially given the unusual amount of freedom that Kondo was afforded as someone who was essentially working undercover. While he enjoyed many aspects of the job， including an opportunity to work with an internal startup called the Mesh Project， Kondo’s heart remained with the prosthetics that he‘d tinkered with back in school.

High costs

It wasn’t until 2014 that the entrepreneurial bug swooped in and bit Kondo. Along with two friends from Panasonic， the trio sought to produce a bionic arm that disabled people would actually want to use.

Kondo‘s apathy vanished when he realized how under-utilized modern technology was in the current prosthetics market.

“According to clinicians I spoke with， about half of ［arm and hand］ amputees don’t use anything — they can still walk and do 90% of their daily activities，” Kondo says. “Within the other half， studies indicate that more than 90% are just using cosmetic， not functional， prosthetics.”

High cost is a major issue in the prosthetics industry， even for purely cosmetic items. The price rises exponentially when bringing sophisticated hardware into the mix， up to and exceeding JPY 1.5 million （US$12，100）， according to Kondo. He realized that the burgeoning 3D printer movement was the answer. Not only could someone print parts at home for a fraction of the cost， but repairs and upgrades would also be easier and cheaper.

“3D printers have really accelerated the process of hardware development，” Kondo says. “When I was in the prototyping lab at Sony using 3D printers to make robotics components， I had a feeling they would change the hardware industry — and the world.”

Kondo and his team saw an opportunity to not only disrupt the prosthetics space， but to give actual movement， gestures， and handshakes back to those who‘ve suffered a personal tragedy or birth defect. Their startup， Exiii， was born.

Making its robotic prosthetic both functional and affordable was just one piece of the puzzle for Exiii. It also needed an appealing design. Kondo explains：

“People who’ve lost a hand or an arm generally want to hide it， that‘s why most prosthetics are made to look like skin. Our designs are different because we want people to show their disability in as positive a light as possible. Our designer wanted to integrate the warm feeling of a natural hand with a robotic look. If he had designed something completely robot-inspired， it would be too sci-fi for most people. He really took time to come up with smooth lines and curves that maintain a human aesthetic， without looking like Frankenstein.”

The group moved fast， entering the first prototype in the James Dyson Award later that year. Out of 650 entries from across the globe， Exiii was awarded second place. Suddenly， what began as a side project （each of the three members had maintained their day jobs） was attracting international attention. DMM， a Japanese internet company that offers everything from on-demand porn to English lessons — and which also happens to run a state-of-the-art coworking space for hardware startups in Tokyo — invited Exiii to join its inaugural class in November 2014. Soon， the media were paying attention to the young startup.

DMM.make’s hardware lab.

After being featured on a nationally-syndicated television program， Exiii found its first evangelist — or， rather， the evangelist found them. Akira Morikawa， who lost his arm in an accident in 2013， contacted the team via Facebook wanting to give it a try. The team decided that SXSW in Austin， Texas， would be as good a venue as any to show their hard work to the world.

“It‘s not strictly a medical device， but more of a wearable item，” Kondo says. “The Apple Watch is a wearable， but our prosthetic arm is the ultimate wearable.”

Function

There are currently five generations of Exiii robotic prosthetics， but it was the fourth version — dubbed “Coyote” — that stole the show at this year’s SXSW. Attendees queued up for a chance to shake hands with Morikawa， following him around the exhibition floor with curious eyes whenever he strayed from the startup‘s booth.

Morikawa shakes hands with a SXSW volunteer.

Coyote uses six motors — one at the base of each finger and thumb and another to rotate the thumb — and uses an Arduino Fio V3 board. Juice comes from a non-rechargeable lithium battery， which gives the arm two to three hours of continuous use. The whole package weighs about 750 grams.

“SXSW was our first-year anniversary event， and the first time to test our prototype with real users，” Kondo says. “Morikawa’s response was really great， he told us it was exactly what he was waiting for. Up until then， people were skeptical. We talked to doctors， clinicians， and therapists — conservative types ［when it comes to new tech］ — and they thought the design wouldn‘t satisfy the users on an emotional level.”

The startup’s fifth and latest version， “HACKberry，” is lighter and more compact than Coyote. It‘s roughly the size of an actual human hand， and thus more appealing to female users who may have felt that previous versions were too imposing. HACKberry uses an Arduino Micro， has only three motors， and features a passive wrist joint — important when a user wants to hold a drink without spilling it. Apart from reducing weight to 650 grams， fewer motors also mean vastly improved battery life of up to 12 hours， with this iteration using a popular rechargeable and easily replaceable digital camera power pack.

HACKberry can be printed with a sub-US$1，000 consumer 3D printer， like MakerBot. The entire prosthesis can be assembled at home using roughly US$300 worth of parts.

Both models connect the prosthetic to the user via a photo-reflective sensor that attaches to the residual muscle at the end of their arm. It converts muscle contractions to finger and thumb movements， which can be configured for different situations via Exiii’s companion smartphone app. Activating the index finger only， for example， allows a user to point. Activating all four fingers and the thumb is used for handshakes or holding objects.

“Coyote can grab a full bottle of water， which weighs about 500 grams，” Kondo says. “HACKberry uses even stronger motors， and is capable of pinching tiny objects like zippers or shoelaces firmly.”

Hardware that helps people

Several other high-profile robotic arm startups were born around the same time as Exiii. California-based Not Impossible Labs made headlines for “Project Daniel” in March 2014. After reading about a Sudanese boy who lost both his arms in an explosion， Not Impossible CEO Mick Ebeling illegally traveled to Sudan to build him a robotic prosthetic and teach his village how to 3D print similar prosthetics for others.

There‘s also Easton LaChappelle， the American teenager who built a brain-powered bionic arm for US$250 back in 2013. LaChappelle’s motivation came from a young girl he met at a science fair with a US$80，000 prosthesis. Because she still had many years of growing to do， the spinal-implant controlled prosthesis would have cost her family a small fortune to replace with increasingly larger sizes.

E-Nable， founded in 2013， provides free 3D-printed mechanical hands to children around the world. In the UK， Open Bionics has been providing low-cost robotic hands as an alternative to traditional prosthetics since 2014.

“None of us knew each other at first， but we all kind of appeared in late 2013 and early 2014，” Kondo says. “I think there was just a sudden trend for hardware that actually helps people.”

On June 7， Exiii embodied that sentiment when a Japanese singer （Kondo asked that her name be kept confidential for privacy reasons） took the stage with her very own HACKberry. The singer， who was born with a partial arm， used the prosthetic to wave and point at the audience — something she had been unable to do while holding the microphone in her other hand.

Open source

After a domestic crowdfunding campaign netted Exiii JPY 3.5 million （US$28，300） in late 2014， Japanese hardware incubator Abba Lab provided the startup with an undisclosed amount of seed funding this January. The startup also added an 2015 IF Design Gold Award to its mantle shortly thereafter.

DMM.make， in partnership with Abba Lab， continues to provide Exiii with office space and a US$4.5 million prototyping facility filled with 3D printers， and testing devices.

Kondo in his office at DMM.make in Akihabara。

Realizing that monetizing such a niche product would be difficult， Exiii embraced the “service model” favored by the startup‘s peers in the prosthetics space and released HACKberry’s build data on Github last month.

“The effect of going open-source has been larger than we expected，” Kondo says. “We have seen makers from around the world posting pictures of HACKberry prosthetics printed and assembled by themselves.”

In collaboration with non-profit Mission ARM Japan， the startup received JPY 25 million （US$203，000） in prize money after winning the Google Impact Challenge in March. That initiative will further the availability of Exiii‘s prosthetics for those in need.

“Our goal is to increase bionic arm penetration in Japan from 1% to 20% within three years，” Kondo says of the partnership with Mission ARM Japan， noting that less than 1% of Japanese people who could benefit from a functional prosthetic are actually using one. “It’s a shame that that number is so low， and many ［within that figure］ are still using tech from half a century ago. We want to spread awareness that ［advanced robotic prosthetics］ exist in the first place.”

Instead of charging forward with another funding round， the startup is more interested in seeing what the world will do with an open-source HACKberry.

“I want to invite makers from around the world to improve upon ［it］，” Kondo explains. “After SXSW， I received hundreds of emails asking to make it open source. With a small team， we couldn‘t possibly cover all the feature requests that people had made， so going open source makes a lot of sense.”

HACKberry will be entering into clinical trials in Japan to see how it holds up during daily use and how it can be tweaked for patients with different conditions. Ever the scientist， Kondo hopes to eventually publish an “Exiii thesis” for the medical and scientific community.

He may not have set out to change the world， but Kondo’s prosthetics have as good a chance as any to do just that.

Chinese drone researchers raise millions to be the Xiaomi of dronesQuiz： are you a great leader？JustRide raises funding to help Indians drive luxury cars at affordable pricesIndia funding round-up： Snapdeal， OYO Rooms， Swajal， iOrderFresh， Glowship

This article originally published at Tech in Asiahere

自動翻譯僅供參考

如此精致，3D打印機(jī)械手正在改變著我們對假肢的思考方式

當(dāng)你準(zhǔn)備迎接啟動，使肌電假肢的創(chuàng)始人和首席執(zhí)行官 - 那些由肌肉產(chǎn)生自然的時候緊張了電信號控制 - 你可能希望來面對面地面對一個理想主義者。你幾乎可以想像的答復(fù)時，你問的百萬美元的問題，“那么是什么促使你去幫助別人？”當(dāng)然，有一些背景故事涉及到一個心愛的人失去了肢體，并終身愿望，讓他們回到自己的流動性。

這是不是跟它近藤，聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人東京Exiii和CEO的情況。當(dāng)近藤進(jìn)入東京大學(xué)的橫井實(shí)驗(yàn)室，試驗(yàn)場康復(fù)為重點(diǎn)的機(jī)器人，他并沒有制定出一些理想主義的使命是讓世界變得更美好。早在2008年，他被完全吸引到后面的實(shí)驗(yàn)室的假肢手和動力輔助移動設(shè)備的科學(xué)。

“我是一個籃球運(yùn)動員和喜愛的運(yùn)動，因?yàn)槲疫€是個孩子，”他告訴科技在亞洲。 “我有興趣在電機(jī)控制 - 沒有馬達(dá)的發(fā)動機(jī)，但運(yùn)動神經(jīng)元，這是大腦如何控制身體在開始的時候，我并沒有考慮過社會方面或幫助的人，只是科學(xué)。 “

近藤還要再花一年伯克利分校，最終贏得從工程的東京大學(xué)的學(xué)校的碩士學(xué)位。由他擔(dān)任硬件研究結(jié)束時，他不相信機(jī)器人假肢將被主流所截肢者接受和采納和那些天生缺失或部分肢體。

畢業(yè)，2011年后，他進(jìn)入無所不在的日本高科技巨頭索尼，看看是否有任何真正的潛力，使這樣的設(shè)備推向大眾市場。墾田被送到索尼的現(xiàn)已解散的研究和開發(fā)部門在御殿山 - 面積在東京曾經(jīng)綽號“索尼鎮(zhèn)”。該公司正式退出了消費(fèi)類機(jī)器人業(yè)務(wù)在2006年，但近藤被聘為機(jī)器人研究員。

雖然他承認(rèn)自己工作的一個機(jī)器人 - 并有誰曾以前工作過的AIBO機(jī)器狗和QRIO雙足機(jī)器人的同事 - 近藤說，他仍然通過與索尼，禁止他從討論正是他在御殿山做了保密協(xié)議的約束。

索尼就已經(jīng)有很多夢想的工作，特別是考慮到自由的近藤是得到誰的人基本上是臥底工作不尋常的金額。雖然他很享受這份工作的許多方面，包括有機(jī)會與內(nèi)部創(chuàng)業(yè)公司的網(wǎng)格項(xiàng)目工作，近藤的心臟保持與他會修補(bǔ)了回學(xué)校的假肢。

成本高

直到2014年，該企業(yè)的bug猛撲，咬近藤。隨著松下兩個朋友，三人試圖制造一個仿生手臂殘疾的人會真的想使用。

近藤的冷漠消失了，當(dāng)他意識到充分利用現(xiàn)代科技是如何在目前的假肢市場。

“據(jù)醫(yī)生與我交談，大約有一半［手臂和手］的截肢者不使用任何東西 - 他們?nèi)匀豢梢孕凶?，?0％的日?；顒?，”近藤說。 “在另一半，研究表明，90％以上的只是使用的化妝品，沒有功能，假肢”。

成本高是在假肢行業(yè)的主要問題，即使是純粹的美容項(xiàng)目。將在精密五金混進(jìn)去，達(dá)到和超過日元150萬（US $ 12，100），據(jù)近藤的價格上漲指數(shù)。他意識到，新興的3D打印機(jī)運(yùn)動是答案。不僅可能有人打印件在家里的一小部分費(fèi)用，但維修和升級也將是更容易和便宜。

“3D打印機(jī)確實(shí)加快了硬件發(fā)展的過程中，”近藤說。 “當(dāng)我在實(shí)驗(yàn)室原型索尼使用3D打印機(jī)制作機(jī)器人的組件，我有一種感覺，他們會改變硬件行業(yè) - 與世界”

近藤和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)看到了一個機(jī)會，不僅擾亂了假肢的空間，而是讓實(shí)際運(yùn)動，手勢，和握手回到那些誰已經(jīng)遭受了個人的悲劇或出生缺陷。它們的啟動，Exiii，就誕生了。

使得其機(jī)器人假肢既實(shí)用又實(shí)惠還只是一塊拼圖的Exiii的。它也需要一個有吸引力的設(shè)計。近藤解釋說：

“誰已經(jīng)失去了一只手或手臂人們通常想隱藏它，這就是為什么大多數(shù)的假肢是由看起來像皮膚一樣。我們的設(shè)計是不同的，因?yàn)槲覀兿胂蛉藗冋故咀约鹤鳛檎婀獗M可能殘疾。我們的設(shè)計師想的自然手溫暖的感覺與機(jī)器人的外觀結(jié)合起來。如果他設(shè)計的東西完全機(jī)器人的靈感，那就太科幻對于大多數(shù)人來說，他真的需要時間來與流暢的線條和曲線的維護(hù)一個人的審美，不看像科學(xué)怪人?！?/p>

該集團(tuán)快速移動，進(jìn)入了詹姆斯·戴森獎的第一個原型那年晚些時候。出的來自世界各地的650項(xiàng)，Exiii榮獲第二名。突然，什么開始作為一個輔助項(xiàng)目（每個三位成員一直保持他們的日常工作）正在吸引國際社會的關(guān)注。 DMM，日本的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司，提供一切從按需色情英語課 - 并且這也恰好運(yùn)行的硬件初創(chuàng)公司在東京的一個國家的最先進(jìn)的共用工作空間的空間 - 邀請Exiii參加其就職級在2014年十一月不久，媒體都開始重視年輕啟動。

DMM.make的硬件實(shí)驗(yàn)室。

以為特色在全國銀團(tuán)的電視節(jié)目后，Exiii找到了自己的第一個布道者 - 或者說，傳道者發(fā)現(xiàn)他們?；紊ǎl失去了他的胳膊在一次事故中，2013年，通過Facebook想給它一個嘗試聯(lián)系了球隊(duì)。該團(tuán)隊(duì)認(rèn)為SXSW在德克薩斯州奧斯汀，是因?yàn)榱己玫膱龅刈鳛槿魏握故咀约旱男燎趧趧咏o世界。

“這不是嚴(yán)格意義上的醫(yī)療設(shè)備，但更多的是耐磨項(xiàng)目，”近藤說。 “蘋果手表是一種可穿戴的，但我們的假肢是最終的耐磨?！?/p>

功能

目前有五代Exiii機(jī)器人假肢，但它是第四個版本 - 被稱為“土狼” - 是出盡了風(fēng)頭，在今年的SXSW音樂節(jié)。與會者排隊(duì)，有機(jī)會握手森川，跟著他周圍的展會大廳與好奇的目光，每當(dāng)他從啟動的展臺誤入。

森川握手與SXSW志愿者。

狼使用六個馬達(dá) - 分別在每個手指和拇指的基極和另一個轉(zhuǎn)動拇指 - 并使用一個Arduino吸入氧濃度V3板。汁來自一個非可充電鋰電池，這給臂兩到三個小時的連續(xù)使用。整包重約750克。

“SXSW是我們的第一個周年活動，并在第一時間與實(shí)際用戶測試我們的樣機(jī)，”近藤說。 “森川的回應(yīng)是真是太棒了，他告訴我們，這正是他在等待直到那時，人們都懷疑我們采訪了醫(yī)生，醫(yī)生和治療師 - 。保守型［當(dāng)談到新的技術(shù) - 他們認(rèn)為設(shè)計將不能滿足用戶在情感層面上?！?/p>

在啟動的第五和最新版本，“樸樹”，是更輕，比狼更緊湊。這是一個實(shí)際的人的手差不多大小，從而更吸引女性用戶誰可能覺得以前的版本是太有氣勢。樸樹使用一個Arduino微，只有三個發(fā)動機(jī)，并配有被動的腕關(guān)節(jié) - 重要的，當(dāng)一個用戶要舉行一個飲料不會溢出了。除了減輕重量650克，減少電機(jī)也意味著大大提高電池續(xù)航能力可達(dá)12小時，使用流行的可充電方便更換數(shù)碼相機(jī)的電源組本次迭代。

樸樹可以打印一個子$ 1，000美元消費(fèi)者對3D打印機(jī)，就像MakerBot。整個假體可以在家里用大約300 US $值得部件進(jìn)行組裝。

這兩種模式通過一個光反射傳感器，可連接到剩余肌肉在其臂的端部連接的假肢給用戶。它轉(zhuǎn)換成肌肉收縮手指和拇指的動作，它可以通過Exiii的配套智能手機(jī)應(yīng)用程序不同的情況進(jìn)行配置。激活食指只，例如，允許用戶指向。激活所有四個手指和拇指用于握手或控股的對象。

“土狼能搶到一個完整的一瓶水，重量約500克，”近藤說。 “樸樹使用更強(qiáng)大的發(fā)動機(jī)，并且能夠像捏拉鏈或鞋帶牢牢微小的對象。”

硬件，幫助人們

其他幾個高調(diào)的機(jī)械臂初創(chuàng)出生大約在同一時間Exiii?？偛课挥诩又莸牟⒎遣豢赡軐?shí)驗(yàn)室做了標(biāo)題為“項(xiàng)目丹尼爾”三月2014念叨蘇丹男孩誰在爆炸中失去了他的胳膊之后，沒有做不到的CEO米克·艾伯林非法前往蘇丹為他建造機(jī)器人假肢，并教他村如何3D打印類似的假肢他人。

還有伊斯頓LaChappelle，美國小將誰建立了一個腦動力的仿生手臂US $ 250個早在2013年LaChappelle的動機(jī)來自于一個年輕的女孩，他在科學(xué)公正會見了US $ 8萬假體。因?yàn)樗匀挥谐砷L做了很多年，脊椎植入假體的控制將花費(fèi)她的家人一筆不小，以取代日益更大的尺寸。

E-Nable，成立于2013年，提供免費(fèi)的3D印刷機(jī)械手到世界各地的兒童。在英國，開仿生學(xué)一直在提供低成本的機(jī)器人的手，自2014年替代傳統(tǒng)的假肢。

“我們都不知道對方在第一，但我們都挺出現(xiàn)在2013年末和2014年初，”近藤說。 “我認(rèn)為只是硬件，實(shí)際上幫助人們突然趨勢。”

6月7日，Exiii體現(xiàn)了這一觀點(diǎn)，當(dāng)一個日本歌手（近藤問她的名字保密，隱私原因）上臺與她自己的樸樹。這位歌手，誰是天生的部分手臂，用假體波，并點(diǎn)了觀眾 - 這是她未能按住她的另一只手的麥克風(fēng)做。

開源

經(jīng)過國內(nèi)集資活動在2014年年底被捕Exiii日元350萬（US $ 28，300），日本硬件孵化器阿爸實(shí)驗(yàn)室提供的啟動與種子基金今年1月金額不詳。該啟動還增加了2015年IF設(shè)計金獎其衣缽此后不久。

DMM.make，與阿爸實(shí)驗(yàn)室的合作伙伴關(guān)系，繼續(xù)提供Exiii辦公空間和US $ 4.5萬美元的原型工廠充滿了3D打印機(jī)，和測試設(shè)備。

近藤在他的秋葉原辦公室DMM.make。

認(rèn)識到貨幣化這樣一個小眾的產(chǎn)品將是困難的，Exiii接受了“服務(wù)模式”被啟動的同齡人在修復(fù)空間的青睞和上個月發(fā)布的Github上樸樹的生成數(shù)據(jù)。

“要去開源的效果比我們預(yù)期的更大，”近藤說。 “我們已經(jīng)看到廠商從世界張貼印和組裝自己樸樹假肢的照片左右?！?/p>

與非營利性使命ARM日本合作，啟動贏得了谷歌挑戰(zhàn)賽的影響在三月份后，日元獲得2500萬美元（US $ 203，000）的獎金。這一舉措將進(jìn)一步Exiii的假肢的可用性為那些需要的人。

“我們的目標(biāo)是增加在日本的仿生手臂滲透率從1％到20％在三年內(nèi)，”近藤說，與團(tuán)ARM日本的合作伙伴關(guān)系，并指出，日本民眾不到1％誰可能受益于功能性假肢實(shí)際上使用一個。 “這是一個恥辱，這個數(shù)字是如此之低，許多［這個數(shù)字之內(nèi)］仍在使用高科技從半個世紀(jì)前，我們要傳播認(rèn)識到［先進(jìn)的機(jī)器人假肢］首先存在?！?/p>

而不是向前充電與另一輪融資，啟動更希望看到什么，世界將做一個開源的樸樹。

“我想邀請制造商從世界各地來改善［它］，”近藤說。 “SXSW后，我收到數(shù)百封電子郵件，詢問是否將其開源的。用一個小團(tuán)隊(duì)，我們不可能涵蓋所有的人做了，所以打算開源使得很多意義上的功能需求?！?/p>

樸樹將進(jìn)入日本的臨床試驗(yàn)，看看它是如何容納日常使用過程中，以及它如何可以調(diào)整患者的不同情況。自從科學(xué)家，近藤希望最終公布的“Exiii論文”為醫(yī)療和科學(xué)界。

他可能還沒有著手改變這個世界，但近藤的假肢有好機(jī)會作為任何能夠做到這一點(diǎn)。

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