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Many things. A vision; a cause; a journey. Founded roughly over a year ago, Vulcan Augmetics has huge dreams: to change the landscape of prosthetics. Currently in the prototyping stage, we are a prosthetics company which creates low cost, modular and adaptable prosthetics. This is targeted towards the community of people with disabilities, especially in developing countries. By incorporating modularity with technology and practical application, Vulcan is able to create prosthetics which are entirely modular. This infuses a new function into the world of prosthetics which is both fresh and more importantly: practical. What sets Vulcan apart is the perspective where Vulcan does not try to create an “all-in-one” product. They know with high functionality comes (literally) great costs. Instead, they focus on creating parts of the product. This way, every part can be changed to better suit the task. For instance, incorporating a mouse and keyboard into the palm and fingertips of a grip. This can be easily switched out to hold bottles (you get the idea). We take it a step further by creating Uplift. What is Uplift? Uplift is an initiative by Vulcan to provide the said community with free prosthetics. It will be ongoing for as long as Vulcan stands. The campaign launched on Indiegogo on the 30th March 2019, with a goal to raise $30,000. This is to fund 30 prosthetics which will be given to 30 amputees where they will be placed into jobs. Those in constant public sight. It’s time to shift how society views this community by placing them in the limelight. To date, Vulcan has won numerous competitions. Such as being awarded the Scale-up Track Winner in Youth Co: Lab Vietnam 2018. Placing Top 10 in Techfest Vietnam 2018. Clinching first in the Women’s Pitching Competition 2018 and representing Vietnam in the Blue Venture Awards as the Country Winner. In a more recent light; Vulcan is a finalist representing Vietnam in The Chivas Venture 2019. How it began.. We work closely with our users to gain valuable insights into the issues with existing modules. This is to create better, more effective modules for our users. We believe their success is our success. Vulcan has developed over 5 models before finalising the core idea – but it does not stop there. We only stop once we have perfected the design and functionality of the model. This is a testament to how much care and precision Vulcan places into each module. To us, we are not engineering a “module”, we are engineering someone’s arm. The Evolution of our Prosthetics MK 1: Everything started with the idea and question of controlling robot arms. The MK1 (Mark 1) is essentially a 3D printed InMoov hand from Thingiverse where we tried to connect Arduino and myo sensors. The verdict? It worked – but they were one piece, heavy, and used huge servos which took up too much space in the arm. With the basic idea in place, we moved onto the next prototype. MK 2: The MK2 marks the creation of our fully custom designed hand, using MK1’s motion methods (Strings & Wires). It allowed for a variety of actions such as playing the guitar with a built-in thumb plectrum, play billiards with a top-mounted cue guide, and even had space in the palm to put in an integrated mouse. The main issue with the MK2 was syncing all powered components, power and space consumption. With that, we went onto the next model. MK 3: MK3 was where we switched from wired to mechanical systems, allowing us to put the servos directly into the hand which saved valuable space in the arm so we could fit a wider range of users. The downside being 3D printed parts for mechanical movements are challenging, not to mention balancing size, power and price when choosing servos. Thus we looked into creating our dedicated Printed Circuit Board (PCB) designs to better manage both space and power flow, and it worked! Now with the current ideas in place, we moved onto the next prototype. MK 4: Our prototypes to this point still have no special trait that truly cuts the industry. Until we asked ourselves: Can we make it fully detachable? Hence, MK4 was created with detachable parts. One of the key factors would be by separating the servos and boards, the hand and fingers could be detachable. This meant broken components could be replaced and on a bigger scale; modularity. We were still struggling with power issues both in terms of grip strength and preventing board burnout, so more work was needed. MK 5: Learning from MK3 and MK4, MK5 used mechanical fingers and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) the components out of aluminium. This translated to being able to significantly cut down on size. Power constraints still limited what we could do with multiple servos running simultaneously, but the hand was functional, the right size, detachable, and we had our own PCBs ready. We were nearly there. MK 6: After more research, MK6 used a single large, powerful servo and used mechanical components to widen the range of movement instead of using multiple, smaller servos. Our chief designer found a way to transfer the force of the servo through 90 degrees, which meant one motor can drive several functions. The cost of the product had gone down over 50% and the simplicity of single servo electronics meant that we could make everything smaller and tighter fitting. The MK6 worked. It did exactly what we wanted it to, and it was interchangeable. We’re nearing the end to solving this puzzle. MK 7: MK7 had only linear upgrades – mostly refining our connector design, improving visuals and user friendly displays, having simplified sensor system and a mass producible skeleton; the first set of custom modules for jobs have made this prosthetic the one we are most proud of, and the one which will change the way Med Tech is used. What are we trying to achieve? Every path that Vulcan took has

Limb loss is a life-altering event that can have a significant impact on an individual’s physical and emotional well-being. Whether it is due to a congenital condition, trauma, or illness, the loss of a limb can present numerous challenges. This comprehensive guide aims to provide a thorough understanding of limb loss, including its causes, different types of amputations, preparation for limb ampuatation, and the importance of effective communication with surgeons. Whether you have to personally experience limb loss or are seeking to support someone who has, this guide will serve as a valuable resource to navigate this complex topic. We are here to let you know that you have us to go through with you in this not-so-easy journey. 1. Understanding causes of Limb Loss Limb loss can occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from congenital conditions to traumatic incidents. Here are some of the most frequent limb loss causes that people are experiencing: According to John Hopkins Medicine, traumatic amputation accounts for 45% of all cases. It usually happens as a result of accidents from traffic vehicles, combat injuries, and mostly, from work-related accidents. It is especially common in developing countries where industrialization is growing, requiring more and more laborers to work for factories and most of the time, under very poor working conditions. After the accidents, some parts of the person’s limb are cut off or crushed badly or seriously burnt, which affects the blood flow and doctors have to amputate them to save their lives. Some diseases, especially Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and diabetes, which destroy your tissues by restricting your blood flow to carry oxygen to the cells in your limb and make your tissues gradually die or seriously affect blood circulation, can lead to a surgical amputation to control pain and a disease process for patients. Compared to the other 2 kinds of amputation, cancer-related amputation is not so common, however, some forms of cancer, such as bone cancer, can still require patients to cut off their hand, arm, foot, or leg to stop spreading cancer cells to other healthy tissues or body parts. When someone is born with a missing part of their limbs or the limbs are not formed correctly as they should be, it is called congenital amputation. There is no exact reason for causing it as we have several causes contributing to blood clots forming in the fetus. Most people choose to use a prosthesis or do other operations to rearrange the limb. 2. Exploring the different types of Limb Loss Since there are several causes leading to an amputation, we have different types of limb loss, we also use the term “amputation level”, which is usually decided by doctors and the cause of amputation itself. These are the most common amputation levels: Also known as trans-radial amputation, it is operated at the radius and ulna of the forearm. It significantly impacts a patient’s life as it involves the loss of the entire wrist and hand. This can limit the functions patients are accustomed to, but with myoelectric prosthetics that are offering more flexibility by responding to muscle signals from the remaining limb. However, things are changing with the existence of myoelectric prosthetics, which allow the patient to do more activities flexibly due to the advanced program inside the myoelectric hand which can react to the movement signal from the muscle of the patient’s remaining limb. To find out what myoelectric hand is suitable for you, call hotline 028 66 53 07 37 or read Types of Limb Prosthetics. When a patient’s hand is removed from the humerus, it is called above-elbow amputation. This type of amputation level usually happens as a result of accidents at the workplace. Though compared to below-elbow amputation, patients with above-elbow amputation have less function, it is still worth it for them to have prosthetic arms to support them in doing some basic activities in daily life. Vulcan Flex Hand now can be suitable for above-elbow amputation patients, too. Transtibial amputation involves the surgical removal of the lower leg, which can be a complete or partial removal, depending on the patient’s specific circumstances. Importantly, the knee joint is preserved in this type of amputation, maintaining function in the upper leg. This amputation level gives patients a better outcome when it comes to performing functions than above-knee amputation. It is also called transfemoral amputation, where surgeons have to cut through the femur, the large bone in the upper leg of the patient. Since this amputation level leaves a serious impact on the patient’s balance and how the patient will walk again, doctors usually take a certain time to plan and discuss with the patient or their family before operating. 3. Three phases of decision-making process The decision-making process can take a short or long time depending on the patient’s condition and their willingness, however, it all comes to one point that it is not an easy decision. Based on our users’ experiences and our research, the amputation decision-making process includes three phases: “How am I supposed to take care of myself?”, “How can I find a job and financially support my family?”, “What is my life without my limb?”, “How do I look after the amputation?” 4. Preparing for the amputation operation The idea of one day waking up and realizing you do not have your limbs anymore is a cruel reality for anyone, therefore, limb amputation is considered a challenging and devastating event in people’s lives and emotions will be the most difficult to prepare. This journey requires a lot of strength, love, support, time, and money for you, your family, and your loved ones. Here are some tips that you can follow to help you mentally prepare before the amputation Consider taking some simple movement exercises. The point of doing this is to help your muscle retain its strength, which helps you a lot in performing other functions when using a prosthetic limb. Try to sleep enough, we know this sounds unrealistic for