Jun 12, 2023

Robotics Business Review April 5, 2016 The system will be released in early 2015, after Barrett achieves full FDA compliance for this 510(k)-exempt device. Barrett Medical will be a fresh spin-off from Barrett Technology Inc., which designed Proficio for DARPA to help returning veterans recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). The rehabilitation prescribed for TBI and stroke are virtually identical in their approach to these brain traumas. Barrett Technology’s flagship product, the WAM arm is listed in the special Millennium Edition of the Guinness Book of Records as being the world’s most advanced robotic arm for its ability to interact directly with humans through subtle force interactions. The WAM uses unique gearless transmissions that offer extraordinarily high fidelity force control. Underlining the value of these drives, Barrett licensed them to Mako Surgical for its highly-successful FDA-approved surgical robot. The WAM human-interactive robotic arm also leverages Barrett’s Puck servomotor controllers, which are protected by three issued patents and enable the user to experience exceptionally smooth forces. Barrett Technology will license all of the technology and knowhow required to manufacture Proficio. Barrett collaborates closely with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, and we are grateful for the input from these institutions that helped shape Proficio. Company Leadership Startup Information Problem Your Company/Products Solve Every 40 seconds someone dies from stroke in the United States alone, according to the CDC. That’s 800,000 people per year. Of the survivors, at least half urgently need rehabilitation, since the sooner (and degree of) rehabilitation after a stroke (during the 6-month acute phase) the better the outcome. Proficio does not replace physical or occupational therapists. Instead, it leverages the capabilities of the PT, enabling engaging game-oriented rehabilitation that encourages longer and more frequent therapy sessions, and with less therapist fatigue. At the same time, Proficio collects data in ways that a therapists cannot, including information not only recording motions, but also recording the forces applied during those motions. The system is connected to a backend database that both the therapist and the patient can use to judge the rate of improvement. Data is kept in accordance with HIPAA rules that protects patients’ identities but can be used in the aggregate to begin to establish benchmarks for particular games. Use of these benchmarks and the data in general will build a competitive advantage for Barrett Medical. Barrett is not the first to market. The biggest competitor, Interactive Motion Technologies (IMT) makes the InMotion robotic rehabilitation device, but this device is limited to horizontal, planar motions. A special attachment is available for small vertical motions, but the benefit is marginal. Proficio has been designed from the ground up as a fundamentally 3D device, accommodating nearly every possible human reaching motion with equal ease. Humans move naturally in 3D and are not designed to operate while fixed to a plane. Market