One day, while scrolling through the internet, I came across a video that stopped me in my tracks. It was about a man with no arms who had undergone surgery to move nerves into his pectoral muscles. This transformation enabled him to control two prosthetic limbs. But there was a catch – he couldn’t take these arms home. Why? Because the technology and code that powered them were proprietary. This man was denied the freedom to fully embrace these life-altering tools because of a man-made barrier. The story was not just sad; it was infuriating.

This experience became the spark that ignited the creation of Open Muscle. I saw the potential of machine learning and believed that it could provide a solution. I had an idea: a matrix of pressure sensors sampling forearm muscle movements and using a force detection labeling system to measure finger movements. In theory, AI or machine learning could predict the finger movements based on the pressure sensors’ data.

It was an ambitious plan, but I was ready to face the challenges head-on. The journey was not without its difficulties. For instance, finding the right springs for the pressure sensors was a task that felt like an endless Goldilocks conundrum. After much trial and error, the solution came in the form of a larger pressure pad, which allowed us to use firmer springs.

Another challenge was designing a system that could be adjusted and upgraded if needed. The solution was a radial design, which captured sufficient data from the muscles and was a perfect fit for machine learning.