Unlimited Tomorrow Global Initiative
Global Reach, Global Impact. A guest post by Easton LaChappelle, Founder & CEO of Unlimited Tomorrow and President of Unlimited Tomorrow Global Initiative.
When the concept of crowdfunding gained widespread traction in the early 2000s, the use cases were stories of fun and excitement. Individuals could now bring previously out-of-reach hopes and dreams into reality, one small donation at a time. GoFundMe, the leader in crowdfunding, launched in 2010 with this empowering mission in mind.
A decade later, GoFundMe has become the leader in raising money for a far more serious goal: medical care. One in three campaigns on the website is now dedicated to medical fundraising. And if you search “Prosthetic Devices” on the site, you’ll see over 10,000 results.
There are 40 million amputees worldwide. Only five percent of them have access to the care they need.
While the physical challenges that come with missing a limb are clearly visible to us all the psychological challenges are less discussed, and often more serious.
Children born without a limb reach a certain age, usually around seven years old, when the psychological challenges of missing a limb arise. When I was 17, I met one of these children at a science fair where I had entered a full humanoid robotic arm and hand. I found out from her parents that her simple below-elbow motorized claw prosthesis had cost $80,000, and that she would soon outgrow the entire device.
From that day forward, I committed to inventing and producing affordable and accessible prosthetic limbs.
I started Unlimited Tomorrow to create the technology, infrastructure, relationships, and distribution model to bring a new prosthetic limb and other assistive technology to the world. Seven years later, Unlimited Tomorrow has created the first direct-to-consumer model and remote fitting process for receiving a personalized prosthetic device. The product, TrueLimb, is exactly sized to the person and matches their skin tone perfectly. TrueLimb is a robotic, multi-articulating prosthesis that has individual finger control and advanced muscle sensors, is ultra-lightweight, and offers a sense of touch. At $7,995, TrueLimb costs nearly 80 percent less than other solutions. An upgrade program is also available for growing children.
TrueLimb can be a global solution for those who cannot afford other prosthetic devices, or those who do not have access to them. This potential is the reason I helped start Unlimited Tomorrow Global Initiative, a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to create new opportunities by unlocking every being’s full potential through our technology and our services. Unlimited Tomorrow Global Initiative’s goal is to donate 1,000 prosthetic limbs by the end of 2022.
Our 2021 goal is to provide 350 devices to those who can’t afford them. Already, we’ve raised $600,000 of dollar-for-dollar matching funds: with your support that can deliver 200 limbs for those in need. You can join us in this important mission by donating here.
Through the power of innovation and philanthropy, I am hopeful for a future in which those who need artificial limbs and access to proper medical care can easily choose to do so.
Easton LaChappelle
Founder & CEO of Unlimited Tomorrow and President of Unlimited Tomorrow Global Initiative
Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.
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