The story of Joy Barua Lablu, a 21-year-old tech innovator who founded Robolife Technologies to build robotic prosthetic arms for the general public.
The global robotics prosthetic market was evaluated at USD 1269.6 million in 2021 and is anticipated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% between 2022 and 2030. Robotic prosthetics are an integration of advanced mechatronics, intelligent sensing and control systems with the aim to replace missing limbs of amputees restoring the lost functions and providing an aesthetic appearance. While most of the research in the field has been conducted by engineering firms in developed countries, some independent ventures have recently surfaced in the developing world. In Bangladesh, Joy Barua Lablu and his small team at Robolife Technologies hope to make robotic prosthetics accessible to the general public.
JOY’S FIRST ROBOTIC PROSTHETIC
Joy’s journey as a tech innovator began in the second grade. By scrapping spare parts from discarded electronic items, he built a CCTV and a home cleaning robot. In 2019, he built a prototype of a prosthetic ‘third hand’ and became the district winner in the NASA Space Apps Challenge. One year later, Joy met an amputee who lost one of his arms to an electrical injury and was physically and emotionally struggling due to his limitations. The two spoke at length, and in the end, Joy felt determined to build him a prosthetic arm with at least basic motor functions.
The ‘third hand’ project was a good starting point to figure out the hardware needed for the robotic prosthetic but Joy was yet to figure out how to control it. “I had previously worked with motors and sensors, so I knew which ones to use to receive signals from the brain, but I didn’t know how the brain transmits signals to the rest of the body,” Joy says, “so, I consulted with a few doctors who helped me with that. The research process was around five months.” The full arm took around one year to build and assemble and passed all tests in its very first trial run. Soon after the project was handed over, the word spread and arm amputees from different parts of the country contacted Joy to build them a robotic prosthetic.
HOW JOY’S ROBOTIC PROSTHETIC WORKS
The main components of the prosthetic arm are electrode pads, sensors, a microcontroller and servo motors. The brain sends signals to nerve endings which the electrode pads pick up. The pads carry the signal to the sensors which are connected to a microcontroller. Based on the strength of the signal, the microcontroller rotates a servo motor, which moves the prosthetic limb.
An Arduino microcontroller and its corresponding integrated development environment (IDE) is used for the robotic prosthetics. The programming languages used are C, C++, Java and Python. For future projects, Joy hopes to achieve more functionality by upgrading the microcontroller and IDE to a Raspberry Pi.
CHALLENGES
A primary challenge is sourcing the materials needed to build the robotic prosthetic. Around 60% of the parts are manufactured in Bangladesh, but the rest have to be imported. Parts like wires, batteries, and building materials can be sourced from the local market, but servo motors and sensors have to be imported. Before building the first arm, Joy had never held a servo motor in his hands. He had to communicate with the right people, explain to them his vision, and get them on board to support him in his endeavour and help him import the motor. After the success of the first robotic prosthetic, Joy and his team wanted to manage the sourcing themselves, and Robolife Technologies now has dedicated personnel to manage imports.
Assembling the robotic arm was another challenge. Joy is self-taught, and had no idea whether he was assembling the different components the right way. He had to learn most of the designing, programming and assembly himself through YouTube tutorials, but he always had a level of uncertainty about whether he was going in the right direction. A lot of trial and error was involved in getting the arm assembled to function as intended. But Joy says overcoming these challenges has been a pivotal step in the learning process.
ROBOLIFE TECHNOLOGIES
Joy founded Robolife Technologies to bring together a team that shares his vision to make robotic prosthetics with a ‘Made in Bangladesh’ label. Joy oversees all operations and is in charge of the hardware while software, design, material sourcing, and communication are divided among the rest of his team of 10. The division of labour has allowed Joy to streamline operations and hand over more projects each month.
Initially, it took Robolife Technologies more than a full year to build, trial, and hand over the finished product to its clients. The first prototype went through four or five versions before sufficient mobility could be achieved. Over time, the company has become more efficient and now Robolife Technologies take 3 to 4 orders per month. The biggest improvements happen when clients provide feedback on the range and motion of the arm. Joy says, “When our clients follow up with us and give feedback on the wear, comfort and functionality, we learn a lot. Their feedback allows us to identify the weak points, and the next arm is built with those limitations addressed.”
The ICT Division of Bangladesh supports Robolife Technologies in their venture and has funded a portion of their project. Currently, the robotic prosthetics are being sold as demos and the business is not profit-driven. It costs anywhere between BDT 30,000 to BDT 100,000 to build a robotic prosthetic and the profit is only marginal. Robotic prosthetic limbs in other countries are sold for BDT 4 to 5 lacs and can go as high as BDT 1 crore. According to Joy, “We want to make sure our prosthetic arms can help as many people as possible, and they are not deprived of this technology because of financial constraints. If our products can be categorised as VAT/tax exempt, we will be able to sell them at extremely affordable prices.”
Tech Innovator & Founder of Robolife Technologies
WORDS OF JOY
“I am only 21 years old and I have a lot to look forward to. Many great tech innovators started from nothing but have made tremendous contributions to the advancement of humanity. Elon Musk, my idol, started from a lab at his home, and now he has given the world groundbreaking technology. I want to follow in his footsteps and do something for my country. I want to see robotic prosthetic arms with ‘Made in Bangladesh’ proudly labelled on them. Your love and support mean everything to us. I want to contribute to the world with my knowledge and expertise in electronic devices. And to other young tech entrepreneurs who have been holding themselves back, I want to tell you, always chase your dreams. When there is a will, there is a way.”
Photographs by Mishor Ahmed
