World Limb Bank - Founders

Dave Franke

Rick Callahan

Hugh Herr

Above-the-knee amputee Dave Franke established the Arnold Franke World Limb Bank Foundation in 1998 naming it in memory of his late father, below-the-knee amputee Arnold Franke.

After spending time abroad and working first hand at a local prosthetic facility in Kathmandu, it became apparent to Dave that there was need of additional relief. The number of amputees in the world continues to grow as developing nations modernize, suffer from poverty, disease and the effects of human armed conflict. Access to prosthetic resources and services for much of the world’s amputee population is disproportionately scarce. The vision of the Foundation is to address this growing global disparity.

Dave is currently involved as a consultant to the prosthetic industry, and has played a key role in the development of a state-of-the-art micro-processed controlled electronic knee.

Rick Callahan has over 20 years experience as an executive in the technology industry, directing strategy and creating products with Fortune 100 companies, venture capital and private entrepreneurial start-ups.

Additionally, Mr. Callahan has had a life long commitment to philanthropic endeavors that benefit at risk individuals and provide respect for the dignity of human life. He has served on the board of directors for several charitable organizations prior to the World Limb Bank such as Shanti and as Director for six years of the Nissan Open with the Los Angels Junior Chamber of Commerce, supporting programs that benefit youth from low-income families.

It was Mr. Callahan’s vision to use technology in a philanthropic pursuit, which has created the global data exchange for donated prosthetic components that embodies the World Limb Bank.

Hugh Herr is Assistant Professor of the MIT/Harvard Division of Health Sciences and Technology and the

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School. His primary research objective is to apply principles of muscle mechanics, neural control and animal locomotion to guide the designs of biomimetic robots and rehabilitation technologies.

Professor Herr has developed numerical models that predict how the mechanics and energetics of running animals change with speed and animal size. His research has led to the development of novel actuation strategies, including the use of animal-derived muscle to power robots in the millimeter to centimeter size scale.

His laboratory has also developed gait adaptive knee prostheses for transfemoral amputees and variable impedance ankle-foot orthoses for patients suffering from drop foot, a gait pathology caused by stroke, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis.

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