THE LEVITATE FREEDOM TOUR Sebastian Jensen

[00:00:00] Hey everybody, this is Rick Bontkowski from the AMPD UP211 Podcast. We are in Chicago today at the Levitate Sport Test Run.

[00:00:09] Amputees are coming here today to try these blades. Give them a test run for free.

[00:00:15] We're going to meet a lot of different amputees today. It's a very, very exciting day for us.

[00:00:20] We are on location in Chicago and we're going to be checking out these cool blades from Levitate, so stay tuned.

[00:00:27] At Levitate we just believe that amputees should have affordable access to sports equipment, which is not covered by medical insurance.

[00:00:36] We make a blade in a box for $2,000 that allows amputees to get out there and be active and do all the things that able-bodied people can do.

[00:00:46] We go around the country doing these test run events. We have 10 on the calendar for this year.

[00:00:51] At a Levitate test run we invite amputees to come out. It's completely free of charge.

[00:00:56] They can come out and try a Levitate blade in a safe and supportive environment with medical professionals on hand.

[00:01:03] That way they can determine whether or not a blade is right for them.

[00:01:07] We've been doing it for a couple years and I would say the response has been great.

[00:01:11] We predominantly get first timers, people who have never ever tried a blade.

[00:01:18] People have been amputees 10, 15, 20, even 30 years and have never even been given the opportunity to try a blade, let alone own one at any affordable price.

[00:01:32] Hey everybody, we've got Julian here. Julian, where are you from?

[00:01:35] From Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

[00:01:36] Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Came all the way from Milwaukee. How far of a drive is that?

[00:01:41] What is it like? Maybe almost two hours.

[00:01:44] Okay, so far. Was it worth it?

[00:01:47] Absolutely. Yeah?

[00:01:49] Yeah, upon getting fitted for it and just being able to feel like a rebound and reflex in my left leg now.

[00:01:56] How did you hear about Levitate?

[00:01:58] Through Instagram.

[00:01:59] Through Instagram?

[00:02:00] Yes.

[00:02:01] So you saw some social media posts?

[00:02:03] Yeah, I tattoo for a living and a lady I tattooed has an organization up in Green Bay.

[00:02:11] Okay.

[00:02:12] And she had like kind of led me onto a bunch of adaptive lifestyle.

[00:02:17] Awesome.

[00:02:18] For what it handles.

[00:02:21] Yeah, and how long have you been an amputee?

[00:02:23] Since 2001, June 2001.

[00:02:25] Okay.

[00:02:26] So fairly soon, fairly recent.

[00:02:28] Yeah. Well, it's awesome to see you moving. I was watching you a little bit earlier.

[00:02:33] Yep.

[00:02:34] Seems like you acclimated almost immediately to the new blade if you want to hold this up for everyone.

[00:02:40] Levitate blade right here guys.

[00:02:42] And I wish you fitness and good health and all the things that go with being active.

[00:02:49] All right. Thank you.

[00:02:50] You know?

[00:02:51] Yeah.

[00:02:52] I appreciate you being on the program.

[00:02:53] Right on.

[00:02:54] And we'll be watching you today, okay?

[00:02:55] All right.

[00:02:56] Thanks brother.

[00:02:57] Thank you.

[00:02:58] Sounds good.

[00:03:04] Hey everybody, we've got Josh here from Benton Harbor, Michigan.

[00:03:08] Hey, how's it going?

[00:03:09] Josh, good to see you man.

[00:03:10] Good to see you too.

[00:03:11] What are you expecting to accomplish today with Levitate?

[00:03:14] Just to get it tuned up nice and good. I've had it for about a month.

[00:03:18] You've had it for a month? Awesome.

[00:03:20] So give us some feedback on your month with the running blade.

[00:03:24] So I got it through the Heather Abbott Foundation.

[00:03:27] Okay.

[00:03:28] It was just a lifestand.

[00:03:29] The day I got it, I went and ran almost like a mile immediately.

[00:03:32] Really?

[00:03:33] Yeah, and I've had other feet that I get on eBay and stuff.

[00:03:36] I don't really have insurance.

[00:03:38] And I kind of like do all my own repairs and stuff so I snap the front of this whole thing off.

[00:03:43] Amazing.

[00:03:44] And I just kind of use JB Weld on it.

[00:03:47] That's awesome. Awesome.

[00:03:49] But yeah, I love being active and this is really taking it to the next level where you can...

[00:03:53] And how long have you been an amputee?

[00:03:55] For like five years since...I think it's five years.

[00:03:58] 2017, September 8th is when it happened.

[00:04:00] And once you were able to get hooked up with Levitate, was that kind of like a game-changing moment for you?

[00:04:08] Yeah, it was.

[00:04:10] My fiance, she told me about them and she was researching legs and stuff because I was always complaining about how all my sockets, they're individual to each leg.

[00:04:21] I can't swap one to the other without having to swap pylons and all that stuff.

[00:04:25] And does this make it a little more interchangeable for you?

[00:04:27] Yeah, it's great. All the stuff they send you in the mail, it took me like literally 10 minutes to put this all together.

[00:04:33] Wow.

[00:04:34] And then you match the height and everything to your other kneecap and stuff and it just worked really amazing.

[00:04:39] That's fantastic.

[00:04:40] It just was so cool how they gave you the whole kit to work and everything and it just worked awesome.

[00:04:44] Well, I think it's awesome. I can't wait to see you out there moving around.

[00:04:48] Okay, everyone. This is Josh from Benton Harbor, Michigan.

[00:04:57] Hey everybody. We've got Madeline here. Madeline, where are you from?

[00:05:01] Originally I'm from Arlington, Virginia.

[00:05:03] Okay. And are you Chicago native now?

[00:05:05] No, currently I live in Madison, Wisconsin.

[00:05:07] No kidding. So you did travel to get here.

[00:05:10] I did travel to get here but not quite as far as I would have traveled from Virginia.

[00:05:13] I see. I see. So how long have we been an amputee?

[00:05:16] Just about two and a half years. Two and a half years in like four days or something, I don't know.

[00:05:23] Okay. And when did you hear about Levitate?

[00:05:25] I actually heard about Levitate before I became an amputee from somebody I saw at some time on social media.

[00:05:35] But, you know, didn't care very much until after.

[00:05:41] We don't care about these things until we lose a limb.

[00:05:44] Yeah, right. Right.

[00:05:45] And I saw you out there a bit. You seemed very comfortable. What's your first impressions of the running blade?

[00:05:51] Yeah. I mean, the foot that I have is like of the type that's very blade-like, like the C shape.

[00:05:58] Got it.

[00:05:59] So of course I'm like, you know, I wasn't expecting it to feel the same as that, but I was shocked at how different it felt.

[00:06:05] You know, like it's very weird because of course like you're not balancing the same. You don't have a heel.

[00:06:09] It's much taller.

[00:06:10] Yeah.

[00:06:11] It's much taller because you're like, you know, you have the extra space.

[00:06:15] So it's very cool. I'm very into it.

[00:06:18] It's definitely more of an, you know, of course hubris.

[00:06:22] It's more of an adjustment than I thought it was going to be.

[00:06:24] And do you think that this type of a system is going to give you some more opportunities to do some things maybe you couldn't have before?

[00:06:30] Oh, totally. 100%. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:06:32] That's good.

[00:06:33] I mean, I have tried to run on occasion in the foot that I have and it's just not quite like if you're going uphill, it's okay.

[00:06:45] But it's just not quite possible.

[00:06:48] So yes, you know, this is, you know, the opportunities abound as they say.

[00:06:55] That's awesome. So glad to meet you.

[00:06:58] That is Madeline originally from Arlington, Virginia.

[00:07:02] Yes. But now living in Madison, Wisconsin.

[00:07:05] In Madison, Wisconsin. Awesome. Great to meet you.

[00:07:08] Nice to meet you too.

[00:07:17] Hey everyone. Casey's here, aka Birdie. Where are you from Birdie?

[00:07:22] Well today I'm from Indianapolis.

[00:07:24] Indianapolis.

[00:07:25] Indianapolis. I am an Indiana native at the moment as well.

[00:07:28] So you're kind of part of what I call home right now.

[00:07:33] How long have you been an amputee?

[00:07:35] So this June will be my second year.

[00:07:39] Second year. Yeah.

[00:07:41] Yeah, and what's this amputee world been like for you?

[00:07:44] Honestly, for me it's been something that's been better than my previous life.

[00:07:50] I'm one of the few that had a non-traumatic amputation.

[00:07:56] I actually chose to become a bilateral amputee at a chance to have a better life.

[00:08:00] And I've been able to actually succeed in that.

[00:08:03] Yeah, it takes a lot of guts to make that decision.

[00:08:05] Yeah. I mean for the first time in my life I'm able to walk around without the need of any assistive devices.

[00:08:11] And that's really, really cool for me.

[00:08:14] Yeah. And what do you think of these running blades from Levitate?

[00:08:17] Honestly, I never had that chance to run in my life.

[00:08:22] And so this has been a phenomenal experience.

[00:08:26] I definitely want to get a pair for myself.

[00:08:30] I feel very bouncy and light and just energetic.

[00:08:33] All that energy return you're getting?

[00:08:35] Oh yeah. You can definitely feel it. It is impossible to stand still in these.

[00:08:39] Yeah. And do you think this is going to, if you can get your hands on these,

[00:08:43] which it seems like everyone is going to have this accessibility to these pieces of technology,

[00:08:48] what would be the thing that you would want to do once you get your hands on these running blades?

[00:08:54] Honestly, the biggest thing is just to figure out how to run, first of all.

[00:09:00] But then probably I wouldn't want to take them off.

[00:09:04] Like I would just see me in the grocery store, you know, riding on the cart with them.

[00:09:09] Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:09:12] Well, watch out. Birdie's going to be coming your way and she's going to be moving fast.

[00:09:16] Thanks for being on the show. It was nice to meet you. Likewise.

[00:09:25] Hey everyone. We are lucky enough to have with us. Jerry, Jerry, where are you from?

[00:09:29] I'm currently from Missouri.

[00:09:31] Okay. Yeah.

[00:09:33] So came from Missouri to come to Levitate today?

[00:09:36] Yes. We drove up to Missouri.

[00:09:38] We saw that you guys had an event here and I happened to be off.

[00:09:41] So we decided to make a weekend out of it and come enjoy Chicago and also participate with Levitate here.

[00:09:46] That's awesome. And how long have you been an amputee?

[00:09:48] I've been an amputee for about a year and a half.

[00:09:52] Pretty new amputee.

[00:09:53] Fairly new, adapting to it. Good to be back on my feet.

[00:09:57] Yeah. And what do you think of the blade so far?

[00:10:00] I think the blade is wonderful. My only issue is my socket is still not the perfect fit.

[00:10:06] But once I get a better fit, I think the blade will definitely be in my future as I like to get back to running.

[00:10:12] And as your limb matures, I'm in my seventh year, so as your limb matures and kind of reforms let's call it,

[00:10:22] you'll find that your sockets fit better. You won't have as many issues. At least that was my experience.

[00:10:31] I definitely struggled in my first couple years just getting the exact right kind of fit where things felt good and I felt comfortable.

[00:10:38] But kudos to you to actually forge ahead and still put a blade on that socket and try to get more active again.

[00:10:48] It's very inspirational for other amputees to see you in this space so early in your amputee journey.

[00:10:55] And what are your fitness goals right now?

[00:10:58] At the moment, I think ultimately is get back and do more cardio. I think what I miss the most is just running.

[00:11:06] At the moment I'm getting by on the elliptical but it's just not the same.

[00:11:11] You know, I purchased the, I think it's the Foreverfoot.

[00:11:16] Yeah, after trying the Fillerall Probe, I thought of the carbon blade shape. I think I really loved it.

[00:11:25] The lightweight, how it adapts to uneven terrain. So once I thought, once I knew that the Fillerall Probe was a good fit for me,

[00:11:32] I immediately just purchased the Foreverfoot. And honestly, I haven't gone back to my original foot.

[00:11:39] I had a hydraulic foot to begin with.

[00:11:41] Yep, I've had one as well.

[00:11:43] Yeah, it is fantastic.

[00:11:44] Yep, no, that's wonderful. Thanks for being here. Thanks for coming on the podcast and telling us a little bit about your story.

[00:11:50] Everyone, this is Jerry. Wish him luck with his new blade.

[00:11:53] All right. Good to meet you, Rick.

[00:11:54] Awesome, man. Thank you.

[00:12:01] Hey everybody, we have a very, very special guest at the Levitate Test Run in Chicago.

[00:12:06] This is Mr. David Rodder. Say hello, David, to our audience.

[00:12:11] Hello, audience.

[00:12:12] This is kind of a surreal moment for me because David happens to be my prosthetist

[00:12:18] and he was nice enough to come here today and help all these amputees get fitted with some cool running blades from Levitate.

[00:12:24] What are your initial impressions of what you see here today?

[00:12:29] Well, first of all, just the fact that there's community over here.

[00:12:34] Whenever I see like a gathering of amputees and kind of that sense of community starts to develop,

[00:12:40] that's always like very heartwarming and encouraging to me.

[00:12:45] And I just, it kind of feeds the fuel of like why I love doing what I'm doing and working with awesome guys like you.

[00:12:54] And I just, I like whenever you have kind of like an independent initiative,

[00:12:58] like there's a guy in Denmark who decided people should have better access to blades.

[00:13:03] That's amazing. That's amazing.

[00:13:05] So to be kind of supportive of that is great.

[00:13:10] It's great.

[00:13:11] It's wonderful for you to be here.

[00:13:13] We're looking at some kind of baby bird new amputees.

[00:13:18] And we're also looking at some veterans here that seem to already have a pretty good fitness level.

[00:13:25] But I'm surprised that most of them seem to be kind of adapting very quickly to that type of technology, which is very encouraging.

[00:13:34] So I think as soon as a running blade is aligned correctly and kind of set up appropriately, people just take to it.

[00:13:43] And they're like, oh my God, like this is so fun.

[00:13:46] Like to be on this buoyant spring that's projecting me into the air.

[00:13:50] And that energy return, I mean for people that don't quite understand it,

[00:13:54] let's say the difference between a simple like walking foot and switching to a running blade.

[00:14:01] I mean, what is the feedback that you get about that?

[00:14:03] Yeah. It's they're like two separate things.

[00:14:06] I mean, it's you know, the walking foot you're concentrating on kind of that heel to toe motion when you first get on a running blade.

[00:14:13] Oh, this is so weird. There's one point of contact.

[00:14:16] It's kind of the springy sensation.

[00:14:19] But then as you get used to it and also as you understand like how this is interfacing with you, like, OK, I get it.

[00:14:25] And like, wow, this is fun.

[00:14:27] Yeah. And don't you feel like these types of tools, these technologies,

[00:14:32] these things that are becoming more accessible for people not only from a cost standpoint,

[00:14:40] but an ease of use standpoint, we all will get a little more active and start moving more.

[00:14:47] Yeah, definitely. I think there's all these initiatives, you know,

[00:14:52] so kids can move became so people can move or, you know,

[00:14:56] and now where running blades were always a luxury and were never covered by insurance.

[00:15:03] Now there's these real initiatives, you know, to say, no, you know, this is not a luxury.

[00:15:10] You know, running equates to health, equates to fitness, equates to community,

[00:15:15] equates to good feelings, positive body images, all those things.

[00:15:19] Yeah. So I love initiatives like this.

[00:15:21] Yeah. And I, you know, personally, I find that the more opportunity I have to move,

[00:15:26] the better I do, the healthier I am physically, but also up here.

[00:15:31] You know, it's such a huge thing in the mind.

[00:15:35] I always say like you don't get there until you visualize

[00:15:38] and you can't get there unless you have the right equipment.

[00:15:41] So this is David Rodder. He's my prosthetist. Look him up.

[00:15:46] He's in Joliet, Illinois.

[00:15:48] You know, I owe so much to you personally.

[00:15:51] And part of why we do this at the Amped Up 211 podcast is because of people like you.

[00:15:57] I appreciate that very much. So thanks for being here today.

[00:15:59] Thanks. Really appreciate the honor of being with you guys.

[00:16:01] Awesome.

[00:16:02] Take care.

[00:16:11] Hey everybody, it's Rick Bonkowski with the Amped Up 211 podcast.

[00:16:14] We are fortunate enough to have with us sitting right next to me here, Mr. Sebastian Jensen.

[00:16:21] He is with Levitate Sport.

[00:16:23] We have been at this incredible event all day,

[00:16:26] which we so appreciate you allowing us to be here and witness some amazing stories,

[00:16:32] taking shape, beginning, starting.

[00:16:35] I think the first thing I go to when I look at what I've witnessed today

[00:16:40] is the concept of accessibility.

[00:16:44] Accessibility in distribution, accessibility in retrofit,

[00:16:51] accessibility in price point.

[00:16:54] That seems to be sort of the X factor when it comes to what I'm witnessing with Levitate.

[00:17:02] Can you tell me a little bit more about that motivation for you guys as a company?

[00:17:07] Yeah, absolutely. Thank you guys for coming.

[00:17:10] It's been a lot of fun to be here today.

[00:17:12] Absolutely.

[00:17:13] As it is with all of our other events as well.

[00:17:16] Just to give a little background with what we're doing right now

[00:17:20] is that we are traveling the US with at least one event a month.

[00:17:25] The idea is basically to get people out and try running blades.

[00:17:30] Try something that is recreational prosthetic.

[00:17:35] And as you mentioned, affordability and accessibility is important in that aspect.

[00:17:45] There's not a lot of people that have the access to it,

[00:17:48] that has the means to buy it themselves.

[00:17:50] Unfortunately, as it is now, there are being put initiatives in place,

[00:17:54] but if it's a running blade or a recreational prosthetic,

[00:17:59] it's unfortunately all out of pocket.

[00:18:02] And what we have been discovered is that it's a component thing.

[00:18:09] That's all it takes for MPTs.

[00:18:13] When you fit an MPT with a running blade

[00:18:17] and you help them understand how to do it,

[00:18:22] they pick it up extremely quickly.

[00:18:24] Yes.

[00:18:25] And it's important to see.

[00:18:28] We get a lot of people to come out, friends, family,

[00:18:33] but also people in the industry, prostitutes.

[00:18:37] Those that come out all of a sudden understand that

[00:18:41] a candidate for a running blade is not the young fit athlete.

[00:18:47] It can basically be for anyone.

[00:18:49] And we do say that with Levitate is that

[00:18:52] our running blades and our prosthetic active feet

[00:18:55] is for the 99% of the people that are not aiming for the Paralympics.

[00:19:01] And you being a triathlete yourself,

[00:19:06] you speak to it in such a way where you have a deep knowledge

[00:19:10] of what it takes to become active.

[00:19:12] But I really appreciate what you're saying because so often

[00:19:16] when we see the very fit Paralympic athlete

[00:19:21] with the running blade, we think, and I'm certainly in that camp,

[00:19:26] that's really not going to be me.

[00:19:28] I'm not going to be that type of amputee.

[00:19:31] And I think what Levitate is doing is you're normalizing that

[00:19:36] and saying, no, anyone can have this type of equipment

[00:19:41] and thrive in that space to get more mobile,

[00:19:45] to be able to do things that they never thought possible.

[00:19:48] And for myself, witnessing new and older amputees

[00:19:53] trying running blades for the first time today in Chicago

[00:19:58] was just mind-blowing because you see the looks on their face.

[00:20:02] And I'm sure for, you know, you're doing this nationwide tour

[00:20:07] and when you go on Levitate's website,

[00:20:10] you can see what they're doing in many cities,

[00:20:14] not just Chicago but many other cities.

[00:20:17] Please check it out.

[00:20:19] People are making these connections and realizing

[00:20:22] that there's huge potential with being able to obtain

[00:20:26] this type of equipment.

[00:20:28] And they may have thought this was an impossibility

[00:20:32] or maybe, you know, just for the Olympic athlete,

[00:20:35] this is something that Levitate is normalizing

[00:20:38] for the community and people are achieving great things.

[00:20:42] And I want to echo what you said as well

[00:20:44] as far as the community feel.

[00:20:47] My prostitutes, David Rodder,

[00:20:51] I mean, it's kind of a coincidence, right?

[00:20:54] Yeah.

[00:20:55] Was here today.

[00:20:56] Yeah.

[00:20:57] So, you know, my eyes lit up, his eyes lit up

[00:21:01] when he saw me, you know, big hug.

[00:21:04] Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?

[00:21:05] What are you doing here?

[00:21:06] Yeah.

[00:21:07] So we are a community.

[00:21:08] Yeah.

[00:21:09] And just to touch point on David,

[00:21:13] you know, David for many know David Rodder

[00:21:15] as a legend within, you know, running prosthetics.

[00:21:18] Right.

[00:21:19] And also kind of a guy from our perspective

[00:21:21] is someone that, you know, he knows a lot about it

[00:21:24] and we want to do it right.

[00:21:26] We know that we are teaching people

[00:21:30] to be more interactive with their own prosthetic.

[00:21:34] Yeah.

[00:21:35] But David left here and he was really impressed

[00:21:38] with what he saw and just how fast you can kind of motivate.

[00:21:42] Make those changes.

[00:21:43] And people themselves just got up and running

[00:21:45] and it's incredible.

[00:21:47] Yeah, it really touched me to be part of this.

[00:21:50] I know we've been kind of throwing DMs at each other

[00:21:54] over the last year.

[00:21:55] Yeah.

[00:21:56] Just, you know, trying to see, you know,

[00:21:58] how we could make the podcast, you know,

[00:22:01] be somewhat, you know, part of what you're doing here,

[00:22:06] which I see as a movement.

[00:22:08] I mean, it really is.

[00:22:09] And I was so excited when you mentioned,

[00:22:12] hey, we're coming to Chicago.

[00:22:14] Yeah.

[00:22:15] It was like, okay, I need to be here.

[00:22:17] I need to really see this firsthand.

[00:22:19] It's been fantastic.

[00:22:21] When I was doing some show prep on Levitate,

[00:22:24] the one thing that really, really touched me

[00:22:27] was everything that you've been doing with Ukraine.

[00:22:30] Wounded warriors of Ukraine,

[00:22:35] obtaining prosthetics and running blades

[00:22:40] to maintain their active lifestyles.

[00:22:43] Most of these soldiers, once were athletes themselves

[00:22:48] and very fit, you know, very active people.

[00:22:52] And how did all of that particular dynamic,

[00:22:56] how did that come about with Levitate?

[00:22:59] Yeah, well, Ukraine is, of course,

[00:23:02] a focus point for us.

[00:23:03] It lies close, you know, geographically to us in Denmark

[00:23:07] where we are headquartered,

[00:23:09] but also kind of to our hearts and the people that work there.

[00:23:15] We have a strong sense that, you know,

[00:23:18] the underdogs are, you know,

[00:23:20] we have a strong heart for that.

[00:23:22] And well, basically, it's...

[00:23:25] There's a lot of amputees there.

[00:23:28] And it happens really fast.

[00:23:29] And we are talking tens of thousands at the moment.

[00:23:33] And when we started to kind of get involved with anything,

[00:23:37] it was much lower than that.

[00:23:40] So everything has happened very fast.

[00:23:43] There's a bottleneck in Ukraine

[00:23:45] on getting prosthetics made, unfortunately.

[00:23:48] And some of the guys that do get prosthetics,

[00:23:52] well, they are getting back into the force

[00:23:55] in one way or the other.

[00:23:57] And getting the right equipment for those guys

[00:24:00] are extremely important.

[00:24:02] So we got an opportunity to get in,

[00:24:06] help some of the guys to get more active.

[00:24:09] They carry a lot of gear.

[00:24:12] And being able to move both fast and effectively

[00:24:16] has been important for them.

[00:24:18] But seeing what we see is...

[00:24:21] have been brutal, but also very motivating.

[00:24:25] The people of Ukraine have an extremely strong spirit.

[00:24:29] And they're doing it to, for one, defend themselves.

[00:24:35] But in extension of that,

[00:24:40] in one way or the other,

[00:24:42] kind of defend a lot of what the same values

[00:24:45] that we stand for are.

[00:24:47] So it lies close to us.

[00:24:49] Yeah, it's such a celebration of strength

[00:24:53] and resilience and an inspiration for everyone,

[00:24:58] not just in the amputee community, but beyond that.

[00:25:02] How did you enjoy filming that commercial?

[00:25:06] Which one?

[00:25:07] The one where you're...

[00:25:09] I think it was for the...

[00:25:11] I don't know.

[00:25:12] I think it was for the...

[00:25:14] I've done a couple now.

[00:25:15] Well, it's the one for the foot that has the deeper tread in it.

[00:25:20] Or the gravel sole.

[00:25:21] Yeah, the gravel sole.

[00:25:22] Yes.

[00:25:23] Exactly.

[00:25:24] So what was that like?

[00:25:25] That was cool.

[00:25:26] So that was one of my first kind of encounters

[00:25:29] with Levitate in that regard

[00:25:31] before I started with the company.

[00:25:33] We had so many things that aligned perfectly.

[00:25:35] OK.

[00:25:36] And so we did that commercial.

[00:25:39] I had some feedback from the guys

[00:25:41] and we decided to do that one.

[00:25:42] That was fun.

[00:25:43] Yeah.

[00:25:44] It was a long couple of days.

[00:25:45] Yeah.

[00:25:46] Well, you and I had spoken to each other a few times

[00:25:49] and of course I had to research you.

[00:25:51] Yeah.

[00:25:52] And I'm like, wait a minute,

[00:25:53] that's Sebastian in the commercial.

[00:25:55] I thought, wow, that's really cool.

[00:25:57] Yeah.

[00:25:58] It's been viewed by a lot of people

[00:26:00] and it's been on the site for a while

[00:26:02] and the website, so yeah.

[00:26:03] No, that's awesome.

[00:26:04] Talk a little bit about your experience

[00:26:06] with Levitate in the commercial.

[00:26:08] Yeah, so we have a lot of people

[00:26:10] that are interested in the product

[00:26:12] and they're interested in the website.

[00:26:14] So yeah.

[00:26:15] No, that's awesome.

[00:26:16] Talk a little bit about the product innovations

[00:26:20] that are happening right now with Levitate.

[00:26:23] Yeah.

[00:26:24] Because it seems like you guys

[00:26:25] are expanding quite a bit right now.

[00:26:27] Yeah.

[00:26:28] So let's talk about that just real briefly.

[00:26:30] Yeah.

[00:26:31] So one thing is that we of course

[00:26:32] get the attention of more people

[00:26:34] in the products that we have

[00:26:35] and developed already is increasing.

[00:26:37] You know, geared within the same category

[00:26:40] of sports and activity.

[00:26:43] So we came out this summer

[00:26:45] with the Forever Foot.

[00:26:46] Right.

[00:26:47] And the Forever Foot was,

[00:26:48] it started kind of as a foot

[00:26:51] that could still have the same kind of proportions

[00:26:54] and geometry as a blade.

[00:26:57] A lot of amputees that got the blade,

[00:26:59] you know, they just enjoyed

[00:27:00] the soft experience of being on the blade.

[00:27:04] And it missed the heel though.

[00:27:07] So the Forever Foot was about kind of combining

[00:27:11] the experience of being on a soft foot

[00:27:14] with energy return,

[00:27:16] but with more balance for everyday use.

[00:27:18] Yeah.

[00:27:19] And we got to a product that kind of was,

[00:27:23] you know, really good for other sports

[00:27:26] than just running.

[00:27:27] So soccer would be for tennis

[00:27:31] or something like that as well.

[00:27:33] And just in overall, great foot for everyday.

[00:27:35] Right.

[00:27:36] So with that, we're also moving into

[00:27:39] the more traditional O&P products.

[00:27:42] So that would be,

[00:27:43] the foot can actually be reimbursed with insurance

[00:27:46] if you would need it for an everyday foot.

[00:27:49] Right.

[00:27:50] And then again, in different sizes.

[00:27:51] So the blade is very much something

[00:27:53] that we focused on the end user

[00:27:57] when it comes to how to acquire it.

[00:28:00] It can also be through a prosthetist

[00:28:03] or in the traditional ways of getting equipment like that.

[00:28:10] But then again, the foot is very much also designed

[00:28:14] for the end user in mind.

[00:28:15] But I thought-

[00:28:16] We have the end user in mind.

[00:28:17] The thing that really struck me

[00:28:19] when I was researching it was

[00:28:21] it would appear that you're sort of moving

[00:28:24] in this whole system kind of direction

[00:28:28] where if you-

[00:28:29] And I'm saying even including the socket

[00:28:32] because it was like, okay,

[00:28:34] I can pretty much outfit all of my needs

[00:28:37] within this umbrella of the spectrum of products.

[00:28:42] And it seemed really genius to me

[00:28:45] in that it was all kind of interchangeable.

[00:28:48] Yeah.

[00:28:49] Right?

[00:28:50] And I recommend you check out the socials,

[00:28:53] YouTube, Instagram.

[00:28:56] Please, because they do a very good job

[00:28:59] of sort of presenting it in a way

[00:29:02] that they sort of break it down in chunks

[00:29:04] and let you see kind of like how it all comes together

[00:29:08] as this sort of full little,

[00:29:11] I don't know, levitate universe,

[00:29:13] let's call it, kind of thing.

[00:29:15] Yeah, we are very specific

[00:29:17] on the different products that we have.

[00:29:20] We're not a massive manufacturers

[00:29:23] that have hundreds and thousands of products,

[00:29:26] but we want to make everything match together

[00:29:30] or fit together.

[00:29:32] So the important thing is that,

[00:29:34] with that you're saying is the quick change adapter.

[00:29:37] Yep.

[00:29:38] So the quick change adapter

[00:29:39] is what kind of combines all of our products

[00:29:41] as it is now.

[00:29:43] We designed a quick change adapter

[00:29:46] that had a low profile so that it takes away

[00:29:49] very little clearance,

[00:29:50] allow for a blade underneath it,

[00:29:52] but at the same time allows you to use different feed.

[00:29:56] And using different feed is important in the regard

[00:29:59] that you have one socket

[00:30:02] and then you can swap between that

[00:30:05] and have multiple feed with that.

[00:30:07] And again, it's a reimbursement issue.

[00:30:10] You can, everyone usually have a socket.

[00:30:14] That's also why we can make an event like this.

[00:30:16] Everybody already had their socket.

[00:30:18] But swapping the feed is kind of the issue.

[00:30:21] And if alignment is an issue for anyone

[00:30:24] or you're not experienced with it

[00:30:26] or don't feel comfortable with it,

[00:30:29] a quick change adapter is perfect.

[00:30:31] So that's kind of what connects the feed

[00:30:34] to being able to swap it very easily

[00:30:37] without any issues.

[00:30:39] And then going into the socket part

[00:30:41] is still very much experimental for us,

[00:30:45] but it's a direction where we kind of see

[00:30:48] that having one socket and multiple feed is,

[00:30:52] yeah, that's kind of a great idea in our vision,

[00:30:58] but also 3D printing is something that comes out fast.

[00:31:01] How that is going to kind of be effective

[00:31:06] in which direction,

[00:31:07] I mean, that's some of the things

[00:31:08] that we are touching based on right now.

[00:31:10] Yeah, it's exciting stuff.

[00:31:12] And I had a fantastic time getting to see your products

[00:31:17] in real time, in action.

[00:31:21] You know, thanks again.

[00:31:22] I so appreciate you allowing us to be here

[00:31:25] and to interview some of your attendees.

[00:31:30] This is Sebastian Jensen.

[00:31:32] I am Rick Bonkowski.

[00:31:34] It's been a pleasure.

[00:31:35] This is the Ampdop 2.11 podcast.

[00:31:37] I want to wish everyone health and happiness.

[00:31:39] We'll see you next time.

[00:31:42] I'm Rick Bonkowski.

[00:31:43] Thanks for watching.

[00:31:44] Bye.