WillowWood and Coapt to Develop the Most Accurate, Comfortable Liner for Upper Extremity Prostheses
August 16, 2017
Contact: Molly Summa/Heather Jozwiak
312.541.9300 ext. 107/115
Prosthetics Leaders Partner to Bring Better Limb Control to Amputees
Coapt and WillowWood to Develop the Most Accurate, Comfortable Liner for Upper Extremity Prostheses
Two pioneers of prosthetic limb components today announced a partnership to bring better control to amputees. Coapt, LLC, the only provider of commercially available, intuitive control systems for prosthetic arms, and WillowWood, an industry leader in the design, manufacturing and distribution of prosthetic products, have come together to develop a new liner for more advanced and comfortable use of upper extremity prostheses.
Both companies are dedicated to offering amputees and those with limb differences the highest level of limb functionality so they can live life to the fullest. This versatile liner will meld WillowWood’s expertise in interface materials and design with Coapt’s innovative pattern recognition solution. This new liner for pattern recognition control, born of research at the nation’s leading hospital for comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), will ultimately create a system that embeds electrodes into a prosthetic liner, giving users greater comfort, consistency and intuitive control of their myoelectric devices.
“We are excited to partner with Coapt to provide a new leading-edge interface option for the upper extremity prosthetic market,” said Matthew Wernke, Ph.D., applied research engineer at WillowWood. “Our complementary technologies are supported by years of research, development and patient testing with our partners at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Center for Bionic Medicine. The collaboration of our organizations is ideal because we’re each motivated by designing the most positive and versatile prosthetic option for upper extremity amputees.”
Said Coapt’s Director of Clinical Innovation, Gerald Stark, Ph.D., “WillowWood shares Coapt’s vision of enhancing the lives of the many thousands of amputees and people with congenital limb differences, allowing them to participate in work and other daily routines with ease. Bringing together our groundbreaking technologies will greatly benefit those who use advanced upper limb prostheses.”
This advanced liner is targeted for release in 2018.
For more information, visit Coapt at www.coaptengineering.com, Facebook and Twitter; and WillowWood at www.willowwoodco.com, Facebook and Twitter.
About Coapt
Founded in 2012, Coapt is the first and only company with FDA Class II Clearance to provide revolutionary and intuitive control technology for advanced prosthetic arms. Started by four leading researchers in the bionics field, Coapt is based on years of research and clinical care at the nation’s leading hospital for comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago). Coapt is an award-winning company that strives to improve the quality of life for prosthesis users by applying clinically dedicated engineering to its portfolio of transformative technologies. For more information, visit www.coaptengineering.com.
About WillowWood
WillowWood, located in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, is an industry leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of prosthetic products, including the Alpha® family of liners, the LimbLogic® vacuum system, and the OMEGA® CAD system. For over 100 years WillowWood has been helping amputees find comfort and functionality with their prosthetic products.