Close to 800,000 people are living with amputated limbs in Mexico, according to government figures, with some non-profits estimating that number is actually as high as 3 million.
Many amputations are the result of diabetes, with Mexico having one of the highest rates of the disease in the world as well as domestic and work related accidents.
A number of medical companies and non-profit organizations provide access to artificial limbs for Mexicans affected by the loss of a limb, and while prosthetics technology has advanced significantly to make them lighter and more lifelike, issues still persist to make them function naturally -- a major factor for prosthetics being rejected by patients.
Two Mexican entrepreneurs, Israel González and Alan Hernández, are working to change that. They are seeking to develop a new human-machine interface for bioprosthetics which they say could fully integrate with the patient's body, helping to ease the physical and emotional pain experienced by amputees.
"What surprises me is that you can have Tesla robots that are autonomous ... they can move and make very fine movements, and yet we have a person who is bedridden. So, where should we focus the technology? On the people," González told The Latin Times.
According to the founders, many prosthetics and bionic devices on the market today are attached to the patient via an external system controlled by muscle commands. This, they say, represents a gap between the patient's mind and the prosthetic, making its use feel unnatural.
Their company, BioGrip, has developed a "Wireless Nerve-Machine Interface," a non-invasive sensor membrane that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the patient's intended movements.
The membrane is worn on the patient's amputated area and connected to a prosthetic limb, effectively connecting the patient's nerves to the device and making it feel as though the limb is controlled by thoughts rather than external muscle commands.
"We are using signals that come from the brain and go to the muscles -- electrical signals -- and with our hardware and software, we capture these signals, clean them up, classify them, and using artificial intelligence we interpret them to translate them into movements," Hernández told The Latin Times. "We're talking about an eight-millisecond delay! I mean, it's almost imperceptible."
A project from personal hardship
The idea for BioGrip was conceived in 2019 following a medical emergency experienced by one of the founders.
González had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, a bacteria-borne illness that can cause paralysis and neurological damage.
"In this process, how difficult it was to move my hands, and how walking was really a struggle ... I wondered what type of technology exists for me," said González, who has a background in electrical engineering and artificial intelligence.
"That's when the idea began, I think it was born out of desperation," he explained.
The company has since passed through an incubator program for technology-based ventures at Mexico's Tecnológico de Monterrey university, and has been accepted into Techstars Boston, a well-known U.S.-based accelerator program.
The founders say they've hit USD $150,000 in pre-sales for their nerve-machine interface, and have an additional $50,000 commitment from an international firm to partner with BioGrip to rehabilitate patients with their new technology. In 2022, the company also won the "Best Tech" award at the Entrepreneurship World Cup in Saudi Arabia, beating out 30,000 other applicants.
Despite their achievements, González and Hernández already have their sights set on the next evolution of their company. Using their nerve-machine interface, the founders aim to have BioGrip aid in a human limb transplant in 2025.
They say one of the main challenges patients of limb transplants face is muscular atrophy, where the nerves fail to make an immediate connection to the new limb, causing long periods of immobility for the transplanted limb after surgery.
The hope is that BioGrip will use its Wireless Nerve-Machine Interface to establish immediate nerve connections between the patient and the transplanted limb, ensuring that the muscle begins to recover immediately.
"That's where we want to push a lot -- to make people understand that this can happen to anyone. And if we all collaborate to make this technology a reality, I believe we can all be at peace knowing that, even if the body fails, technology can give us back a bit of what was taken from us," said González.
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