There are 70 million people who require prosthetic limbs around the world. Sadly, limb loss is up to 100 times more common in low-resource regions of the world. Current prostheses are rigid, uncomfortable, over-engineered and prohibitively expensive – up to tens of £1000s per device. Because of this, 90% of people with limb differences have no access to prostheses at all.
Ben Lakey is the Co-Founder of Mitt Wearables. Mitt has developed easy-to-use, comfortable prosthetic limbs that are drastically more affordable than any other solutions.
Instead of having rigid sockets that clinicians must specially fit to users, Mitt’s prosthetic limbs have an adjustable interface that users can fit themselves, which makes them light, breathable and much more comfortable. They are developing a growing range of task-specific tools that clip in and out of the prosthesis – for holding a pen, a kitchen knife, a table tennis bat or anything else the user needs.
Ben’s interest in prosthetics stemmed from a personal experience, after his sister had a traumatic foot injury seven years ago that eventually led to a below-knee amputation. He saw first-hand the difficulties she experienced with rehabilitation and trying to get prosthetics fitted correctly.
With an affordable price point, and a device that can be fitted by users themselves without medical intervention, Mitt can provide prosthetics direct to the users and communities that need them, no matter how isolated from medical infrastructure. Mitt aims to remove barriers and empower individuals to take control over their own disability, creating opportunities for people around the world by giving them the power over their own limbs.
