The prosthetics field’s main problem isn’t just designing better devices — it’s the lack of data to guide which device is best for each patient, according to one executive in the space.
Josh Caputo, CEO of HumoTech, said he realized this as he was beginning his career as a prosthetic engineer.
“I thought I’d invent the next greatest robot foot. I realized some of the interesting challenges in the prosthetics industry that limit companies’ abilities to scale, and I wanted to do something about that meta problem,” Caputo said this week during a talk at Reuters’ MedTech conference in Boston.
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His company, which is based in Pittsburgh, has developed a robotic test platform that allows patients to quickly try multiple prosthetic or exoskeleton options in a clinic.
Instead of having to physically build and fit several different prosthetic devices — a process that takes time and money — the patient can try multiple options back-to-back on a treadmill in the clinic, Caputo explained. As they walk, HumoTech’s system adjusts to mimic the mechanics of different prosthetic models, and then it generates an experiential data report on how each device performs for that individual.
“We’re an unbiased arbiter of what makes sense,” Caputo stated.
During the test, the clinic collects objective data, such as walking speed and gait stability, as well as subjective feedback captured through short patient surveys. The data is then compared across devices to identify which prosthesis best fits the patient’s needs.
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The current prosthetic fitting process relies heavily on the prosthetist’s expertise because there’s no widely used, data-driven way to predict how a given device will perform for a specific patient, Caputo noted.
If a device ends up being a poor match, there is little recourse, he added. Replacements are typically difficult to get reimbursed, and the clinic often absorbs the financial loss.
Not only does the test have potential to reduce hassle and potentially costs for patients and providers, it also offers benefits for payers, Caputo pointed out.
“The payer wins because we’re helping them to avoid overpayment, and we’re reducing the abandonment of those devices. A prosthetic device, on average, is around $30,000 — but on the low end, it’s just a couple thousand, and on the high end, you can spend over $100,000 on a leg. So it’s a really significant decision,” he remarked.
So far, HumoTech’s commercialization approach has been to sell its system to research institutions and the VA to validate its effectiveness and build credibility. Now, the company is shifting to clinical deployment and recurring revenue models with prosthetic clinics — with early pilots showing strong patient engagement and improved outcomes, Caputo said.
Longer term, HumoTech plans to build large datasets on amputee gait and device performance to enable more advanced learning models, as well as the development of better predictive decision support tools.