An artificial limb can cost more than a car. <\/p>\n
And there arean estimated 2 million amputees in the United States alone. <\/p>\n
So for Jeff Huber, an entrepreneurwho had dabbled in education and advertising who happens toalso an amputee, this market was close to heart. <\/p>\n
While an undergraduate at North Carolina State University, he had long thought about how to make prosthetics at a fraction of their current costs in emerging markets. But he wound up dropping out to do anonline education startup called Knowit and then working on data-driven marketing at MightyHive. <\/p>\n
After leaving last year, he returned to tinkering on his old ideas around affordable artificial limbs. Now Hubers work has become a startup called Standard Cyborg thats backed by Y Combinator. Hes still the sole founder and employee. <\/p>\n
For most of hislife, Huber has used aprosthetic leg. He was born with a congenital birth defect that left him without a fully formed fibula. <\/p>\n
As a growing child, Huber would get a new leg every nine months or so. But once he became an adult, insurance would only cover a new leg ever three to five years. His current leg costs $23,000; for patientswho are above-the-leg amputees, it can cost double. <\/p>\n
With those kinds of price points, its hard to get special-useprosthetics likeartificial limbs forrunning or other kinds of sports. <\/p>\n
Huber started interviewing other amputees to figure what they wanted most. <\/p>\n
At thetop of that list? Shower legs. <\/p>\n
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Read more here: <\/p>\n
YC Backs Standard Cyborg, A Startup Building Affordable Artificial Limbs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An artificial limb can cost more than a car. And there arean estimated 2 million amputees in the United States alone. So for Jeff Huber, an entrepreneurwho had dabbled in education and advertising who happens toalso an amputee, this market was close to heart Continue reading