Hollis Pierce recently captured his first selfie with the help of the engineering team at Sielo Robotics. The 38-year-old, who advocates for individuals with physical disabilities and leads accessibility and partnerships at the Ottawa-based company, used the assistive robotic arm named Arlo to achieve this milestone. By controlling Arlo with a space mouse, Pierce successfully snapped the selfie after an hour of practice.

Sielo Robotics, founded at the University of Ottawa, emphasizes user experience feedback in their innovation process. The company raised a million dollars in seed funding in May to accelerate their work. They collaborate with The 8-80 Collaborative and aim to expand their testing team to enhance product functionality.

The company’s chief technology officer, Rafaël Hébert, highlighted the progress made by users like Pierce in utilizing the robotic arm for daily tasks. Hébert emphasized the challenge of replicating human actions in unpredictable environments and the importance of adapting technology to diverse user control methods, such as eye gaze or joystick manipulation.

Masoud Karimi, a robotics control engineer at Sielo, is developing an AI-enabled system to enhance the arm’s functionality in recording routine tasks. The company envisions a cost-effective and insurance-covered device accessible to people with disabilities. With the recent funding boost, Sielo aims to expedite the development process and potentially introduce the robotic arms for beta testing in households by the year’s end.

Pierce, optimistic about Arlo’s impact on future generations, envisions the device’s early availability benefiting young individuals with disabilities. He is enthusiastic about the advancements in his ability to interact with technology and looks forward to the transformative potential Arlo holds for the community.