Liberating Technologies

What Liberating Technologies does

Liberating Technologies, Inc. (LTI) is a privately held research and development company headquartered in Holliston, Massachusetts, operating since 2008 as a wholly-owned research subsidiary of Coapt, LLC. The company functions as Coapt's dedicated R&D hub, executing government-funded research in upper- and lower-limb prosthetic technologies, myoelectric control systems, and orthotic devices. Its work addresses high-risk, high-reward concepts in prosthetics including myoelectric training tools, sEMG-based multi-degree-of-freedom control, voice-activated prosthesis control, wireless physiological sensing, socket-fit management, active cooling, and advanced prosthetic terminal devices and feet.

LTI maintains an active portfolio of approximately 11 R&D projects (including MyoTrainer/MEGI, Psicon, Asterisk2, VASOCK, SWEAT, Wicking Liner, VAPI/VOICEREC, Pointdexter, CAESAR2, HARO, and Balance), most of which target completion in the 2020-2021 timeframe and address documented clinical pain points such as the ~50% prosthesis rejection rate among upper-limb amputees and the 72% incidence of heat and perspiration complaints among lower-limb amputees. Technologies are developed in collaboration with academic and clinical partners including Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Vivonics Inc., Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and independent clinical consultants.

The company's revenue model is government contract research: LTI is funded primarily through SBIR/STTR awards and federal research grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Veterans Administration, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, and Department of Education, rather than through commercial product sales. Successful research outputs are commercialized through parent company Coapt, which holds FDA Class II clearance for intuitive control technology in advanced upper-limb prosthetics. The company is not venture-backed and has no disclosed private capital.

Name

Liberating Technologies

Legal name

Liberating Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://liberatingtech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Liberating Technologies is a Holliston, MA-based R&D subsidiary of Coapt that develops advanced prosthetic and orthotic technologies, funded primarily through U.S. government grants (DoD, NIH, VA) to serve upper- and lower-limb amputees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prosthetic and Orthotic Research & Development

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Limb Prosthetics (Upper/Lower Extremity Prosthetic Systems) (HLAHAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prosthetic Components & Rehabilitation Accessories (Liners, Feet, Knees, Sockets) (HLAHAMAD), Compression Therapy & Lymphedema DME (Garments, Pneumatic Pumps) (HLAHAMAH), Prosthetics/Orthotics Rehab & Amputee Rehabilitation (HSADAIAN), AT Device Setup, Integration & Technical Support (MDM, IT, Interoperability) (EDAKAIAK)

Keywords

• Myoelectric prosthesis research
• Orthotic device development
• Surface EMG control
• Prosthetic limb engineering
• Clinical research prosthetics

Headquarters

HQ city

Holliston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Research Grants and Contracts: LTI operates as a research and development company funded primarily through government-funded grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, Veterans Administration, and National Institutes on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Revenue comes from SBIR/STTR contracts and other federal research awards rather than commercial product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Liberating Technologies, Inc. (LTI) is the dedicated R&D subsidiary of Coapt, LLC, developing advanced upper- and lower-limb prosthetic and orthotic technologies in Holliston, Massachusetts. The company operates as a contract research organization that conceives, designs, prototypes, and clinically validates prosthetic systems—including myoelectric training tools, sEMG-based multi-DoF controllers, voice-activated interfaces, socket comfort and fit sensors, cooling liners, and energy-storing prosthetic feet—and transfers mature technologies to its parent for commercialization.

Product overview

Liberating Technologies, Inc. (LTI) is Coapt's dedicated research and development subsidiary based in Holliston, MA, developing a portfolio of advanced prosthetic and orthotic technologies. The company's products span multiple categories including: myoelectric training systems (MyoTrainer/MEGI), wireless prosthetic control systems (Asterisk2), balance measurement tools (Balance Device), lower extremity prosthetics (CAESAR2 foot), upper extremity devices (Pointdexter fingertip, Psicon sEMG control, HARO orthotic), socket comfort solutions (SWEAT cooling, VASOCK fit sensors, Wicking Liner), and voice-controlled prosthetics (VAPI/VOICEREC). These research projects are funded primarily through government grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, NIH, and VA, with some products commercially available through Coapt while others remain in development. The portfolio addresses the full spectrum of amputee needs from upper and lower limb control to skin care and comfort.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MyoTrainer / Myoelectric Gaming Interface (MEGI) A portable, affordable, and interactive myoelectric training system that maps surface EMG signals to video games for patient therapy, intended for use in clinic or home settings to help upper-limb amputees develop prosthesis control skills through engaging, clinically relevant exercises.
• Asterisk2 Wireless Sensor System A wireless non-invasive sensor system designed to collect and transmit physiological information (IMU, EMG) from users to microprocessor prostheses and orthoses, eliminating cable management between sensors and the prosthesis.
• Balance Dynamic Corrective Force Device A dynamic corrective force device that provides quantitative balance measures for clinicians to support prosthetic foot and component selection, addressing the 52.4% annual fall rate reported among lower-extremity amputees.
• CAESAR2 (Compliant Adaptive Energy Storing and Return Foot) A no-power bionic lower extremity prosthetic foot designed to deliver compliant energy storage and return and normalized ankle biomechanics, improving on the limited peak power and energy return of existing energy-storing-and-returning prosthetic feet.
• Pointdexter Prosthetic Fingertip Terminal Device A prosthetic fingertip terminal device that augments multi-articulating prosthetic hands with an additional dexterous grip at the fingertip, combining the practical grip capability of split-hook terminal devices with the aesthetics of a prosthetic hand.
• Psicon sEMG-Based Hand-Wrist Prosthesis Control A surface-EMG-based control system that delivers simultaneous, proportional, and independent control of hand and wrist degrees of freedom on a prosthetic limb using only four commercial electrodes, removing the need for sequential mode switching.
• SWEAT Active Cooling System An active cooling system integrated into the prosthetic socket to reduce residual limb temperature, decrease perspiration, and improve socket comfort, addressing the heat and perspiration issues reported by 72% of above-knee amputees.
• VASOCK Socket-Fit Sensing System A sensor system that supports self-management of prosthetic socket fit by detecting patient-specific residual limb volume changes, helping amputees know when to change sock ply to maintain socket fit.
• VOICEREC / Voice Activated Prosthesis Interface (VAPI) A voice-recognition interface that lets patients generate control signals for prosthesis movements via speech, enabling coordinated sequential prosthetic movements previously inaccessible through conventional inputs.
• Wicking Liner (Moisture Management Liner) A thermally conductive prosthetic liner that passively reduces elevated intra-socket perspiration and wicks moisture away from the residual limb to improve amputee skin health, addressing the 3.3x higher rate of skin problems among amputees with excessive perspiration.
• HARO Hand Assistive and Rehabilitative Orthotic Device A low-profile, battery-powered, lightweight hand orthotic that provides powered grip in three-jaw-chuck and key grip modes for individuals with hand function impairment from military injuries or medical conditions, developed with WPI.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% of above-knee amputees report heat and perspiration inside socket as most common cause for reduced quality of life
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLTI partnered with WPI on the HARO (Hand Assistive and Rehabilitative Orthotic Device) project. WPI researchers contributed to the development and functional evaluation of the low-profile, battery-powered hand assistive device for individuals with reduced hand function from military injuries or medical conditions.
• Debra Latour, OTR/LcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDebra Latour, an occupational therapist, is a partner on the HARO project contributing clinical expertise in hand rehabilitation and assistive device evaluation.
• Vivonics, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLTI partnered with Vivonics, Inc. to develop the SWEAT (Active Cooling System) and Wicking Liner projects. Vivonics contributes expertise in liner technology development with thermal conductivity and moisture wicking capabilities.
• Minneapolis VA Health Care SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLTI collaborated with the Minneapolis VA to develop and evaluate the active cooling system for prosthetic sockets, leveraging VA clinical expertise and patient populations for research.
• CoaptflagshipOthersCoapt is the parent company and commercial partner for LTI. Founded in 2012, Coapt makes human-machine interfaces and is the first company with FDA Class II clearance for intuitive control technology for advanced prosthetic upper limbs. LTI serves as Coapt's dedicated research hub while Coapt commercializes technologies.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Hanger Clinic: Largest U.S. provider of prosthetic and orthotic patient care services with clinical research arms; a comparable prosthetics stakeholder in the U.S. market whose clinical-research arm faces similar training, socket comfort, and patient compliance issues that LTI's projects address.

Direct peers

• Arm Dynamics: U.S. upper-limb prosthetic specialty provider and clinical research entity focused exclusively on arm amputees; directly comparable patient-population, clinical-research, and upper-limb focus to LTI's research studies.
• Fillauer: U.S.-based manufacturer of prosthetic and orthotic components, including upper-limb terminal devices, feet, and prosthetic components; comparable to LTI's Pointdexter fingertip and component-level research focus.
• Coapt: Parent company and namesake human-machine interface provider for upper-limb prosthetics with FDA Class II clearance; LTI is described as Coapt's dedicated research hub, so the commercial arm sits adjacent to LTI's research output and shares the same bionic prosthetic control focus.

Others

• VA Rehabilitation R&D (Rehab R&D) programs: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs internal research programs that fund prosthetics R&D (one of LTI's existing funders via Minneapolis VA); an ecosystem participant shaping the funding landscape and clinical environments LTI depends on.

Emerging players

• PSYONIC: Developer of advanced bionic upper-limb prosthetic hands (Ability Hand) with FDA clearance; an emerging commercial competitor in myoelectric hand control that addresses the same multi-DoF control and dexterity issues that Psicon and Pointdexter target.
• Atom Touch (Motorica): Developer of multi-articulating prosthetic hand and arm systems with research ties to Russian institutions; an emerging player addressing the same problem of intuitive multi-DoF prosthetic control that LTI's Psicon and VAPI projects target.
• BrainCo: Brain-computer interface and prosthetic limb company developing EMG-based robotic limbs and neurorehabilitation tools; comparable to LTI in applying sEMG signals to prosthetic control and rehabilitation training.

Broad incumbents

• Ottobock: Global leader in prosthetics, orthotics, and mobility products with broad upper- and lower-limb prosthetic lines and established myoelectric control products; a mainstream incumbent whose commercial portfolio competes with the very problems LTI's research targets (sEMG control, socket comfort).
• Össur: Major international prosthetics manufacturer with strong lower-limb prosthetic feet, liners, and socket systems (including compression/cooling solutions in their portfolio); overlaps directly with LTI's CAESAR2, SWEAT, Wicking Liner, and socket-fit problem spaces.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Liberating Technologies