The Company has launched contract manufacturing of grasp-enabling mechanical units in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Motorica, Russia’s leading developer and manufacturer of hi-tech prostheses has located part of its assembly facilities in the Russian Far East. Thanks to financial support provided by the Far East High Technology Fund (FEHTF), the developer has launched contract manufacturing of mechanical units for INDI bionic forearm prostheses at the facilities of Kompozit DV, its local partner in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
INDI is part of the robotic line of single-grasp prostheses. A mechanical unit used as a component of the prosthesis enables the grasping motion with the hand part of the prosthesis. The prosthesis is controlled via sensors, and the hand is closed and opened by a small but powerful electric motor.
The first order placed by Motorica in Komsomolsk-on-Amur amounted to 150 sets of mechanical units (note: one unit is used for one prosthesis). By 2022, the Company is planning to increase the order up to 500–800 sets, which will make it possible to provide up to 30–40% of the Company’s total annual output of prostheses with the units.
The manufactured mechanical units will be shipped to users in the Far Eastern Federal District and other regions of Russia as part of finished products. Part of the output will be exported to the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region.
“Along with other important objectives, Motorica aims to diversify the supply and assembly of components, i.e. units for prostheses. This will allow for establishing of facilities that will lead to exponential growth of the Company. Placing orders in the Russian Far East is among the solutions to this task,” said Andrey Davidyuk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Motorica.
“The Fund’s portfolio companies bring new hi-tech competencies and resources into the region and create modern business paths, jobs, and training opportunities,” said Ruslan Sarkisov, CEO of the Far East High Technology Fund.
In January 2021, Motorica raised RUB 300 mln from the Far East High Technology Fund and Russian Direct Investment Fund, as well as in the foreign markets to pursue development activities and expand in Russia. Part of said amount will be used to expand in the Russian Far East: in addition to the assembly facilities, the Company is planning to open a Motorica research centre for invasive neurotechnologies in Vladivostok jointly with the Far Eastern Federal University and Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech). The partners have already launched research activities intended for phantom limb pain relief and bionic prosthesis sensing. The first implantation surgeries involving invasive electronic devices have been scheduled for August–September 2021. Furthermore, the Company is planning to open an assembly, sales, and customer support facility in Vladivostok. A total of 15 new jobs will be created.
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Motorica is a resident of Skolkovo Innovation Centre. The Company develops and manufactures body-powered and bionic artificial upper limbs for children and adults and creates an ecosystem for users of diverse rehabilitation devices. Since 2016, the Company has manufactured over 2,500 prostheses, including those for unique cases of prosthetic rehabilitation of children who had previously been denied prosthetic care due to the complexity of the injury considering the lack of suitable solutions. The Company’s vision is based on the idea according to which modern artificial upper limbs are supposed to turn the special needs of people with disabilities into their strengths. The Company’s research and development efforts focus on the use of VR, IoT, and AI for prosthetic rehabilitation and invasive technologies. Additional information is available at motorica.org
The Far East High Technology Fund (FEHTF) was established in August 2018 following the instruction of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District. The Fund’s capital is RUB 5 bln, and its total investments exceeded RUB 1 bln as of May 2021. The Fund has financed hi-tech companies Hotlead and Visitech located in the Russian Far East along with the companies that are localising in the region, namely Promobot, a manufacturer of robots, Cinemood, a designer of mobile TV projectors, and Motorica, a manufacturer of bionic prostheses, Titan Power Solutions, a designer of supercapacitors, and the Digital Primorye project providing for the implementation of a smart information system. Fund investors include VEB.DV, RUSNANO (VEB.RF Group), and Russian Venture Company (RVC). Additional information is available at vostokventures.ru
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