Gene Shirokobrod, PT, DPT, OMPT, a Baltimore-based physical therapist, is one of the developers of The ARC, a device designed to provide support to the neck and back. The ARC, a project funded by Kickstarter, crossed its $20,000 goal with the help of more than 650 backers. The arc-shaped device is engineered to rest behind the back, where it can provide back and neck relief, according to a news report from Technical.ly Baltimore.
Shirokobrod explains that the device can be used with any chair or even under one’s neck while lying down. Shirokobrod states, “One, you can tailor it to yourself, and two … there are lumbar supports. It puts you right where you need to be for your neck and your back. Your body’s designed to move so with The ARC you can do exercises, you can do different stretches.”
The Technical.ly Baltimore news report notes that Shirokobrod met with engineer Corey Fleischer at the Baltimore Foundery in July 2013 to develop the idea, and the pair started designs and early tests. Shirokobrod says, “We used it on ourselves, we used it on friends and family, then we spread it to acquaintances. It was incredible to see how receptive people were.”
Shirokobrod says the Kickstarter campaign was, in part, an attempt to research how much demand there was for the service.
Shirokobrod says manufacturing plans are being finalized with a California plant to produce the device. Following the 8- to 12-week manufacturing process, Shirokobrod and other organizers will hand-assemble up to 4,000 of the devices at home, according to the Technical.ly Baltimore news report. The devices will be available to backers and the general public in late fall.
Source: Technical.ly Baltimore
