From as far back as Alexander the Great to as recent as V.I.C.I from Small Wonder or MasterChef Junior, people throughout history have been taken by young people with talent. And, ever since he first began work on his 3D printed, bionic hand at the age of 14, one self-taught, young lad has captured the hearts and minds of those who’ve come across his work. Five years, one start-up, and a NASA job later, Easton LaChappelle will show his work to an even wider audience, as he appears on All-American Makers this Wendesday to show off his robotic prosthetics.
LaChappelle is currently in the process of growing his robotics business, Unlimited Tomorrow, and, while he may have received financial backing from self-help guru Tony Robbins and is hosting a GoFundMe campaign for his exoskeleton project, I’m sure that he needs all of the funding and publicity he can get. So, tomorrow night at 10 pm EST, LaChappelle will pitch his 3D printed bionic arm to a panel that includes robotics expert Brian Roe, venture capitalist Marc Portney, and founder and CEO of Printrbot Brook Drumm. LaChappelle’s device will first be tested by Drumm and Roe before being presented to a consumer focus group. If all goes well, Portney may invest his own money into the project.
The tip that the young inventor would be on the Science Channel show came from Dean Jarvis, Founder of the Amputee Long Drive Championship. Jarvis describes the Amputee Long Drive Championship “began with Amputees hitting a golf ball as far as possible, and evolved into ParaLong Drive when One-Armed, Paralyzed, Blind, and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injured) athletes wanted to participate. We have had multiple athletes hit the golf ball over 400 yards (Jared Brentz 409, Brendon Jacks 401 yards) and Tommy Morrissey (4 year old 1 arm golf phenom) hitting the ceremonial first ball. Tommy has a very popular Golf Channel segment with Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, and Bubba Watson.”
By tipping me off to the fact that LaChappelle would be on the show tomorrow night, Jarvis is doing his part to repay the young inventor who has exhibited at the event in the past. He tells me, “Easton and Stratasys have been instrumental in the success of the Amputee Long Drive Championship and the Mesquite (NV) Innovation & Technology Summit.” More than simply displaying his prosthetics at the event, Jarvis explains, LaChappelle “has developed many friendships with the athletes of ParaLong Drive.” Stratasys, too, does its own part to help the disabled community, both by sponsoring the event and through its partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create custom prosthetics.
LaChappelle was originally inspired to pursue his bionic arm when he met a 7-year-old girl with an expensive, single-movement prosthesis at a science fair. Since then, he’s done much to help the disabled community, while pursuing the growth of his robotics company. Naturally, getting more people to watch the inventor on All-American Makers helps LaChappelle, Jarvis’s community, and those in need of prosthetics. So, for that reason, I’ve got no problem plugging any of this is an article on 3DPI. Make sure to watch the show tomorrow night at 10 pm EST.
