Chapter 5 - The Innovation Hub
The drive to Bennett Medical Technologies' headquarters took twenty minutes, but to Annie, stepping into the facility was like entering a different world. The campus was a soaring complex of glass and steel, filled with state-of-the-art testing tracks, robotic fabrication arms, and cleanrooms.
Jonathan led her directly to the Research & Development wing, where Dr. Marcus Vance, a leading expert in neural-integrated prosthetics, was waiting.
"Jonathan," Dr. Vance said, walking over with a tablet in hand. "Daniel said you had an emergency fitting? We weren't expecting any clinical trial patients today."
"This isn't a clinical trial patient, Marcus," Jonathan said, placing a hand on Annie’s shoulder. "This is Annie Carter. She’s an engineer in our support division, and she’s found a structural workaround for the fluid expansion issue on the Gen 3 units."
Dr. Vance looked surprised, looking down at Annie’s worn pant leg and then at the red notebook Jonathan handed him. Vance flipped through the pages, his skepticism quickly melting into intense concentration.
"This bypass design..." Vance muttered, adjusting his glasses. "It's remarkably clean. You're utilizing the ambient heat differential to equalize pressure?"
"Yes," Annie said, stepping forward, forgetting her nervousness as soon as the technical discussion began. "If you route the overflow back into the primary chamber through a variable orifice, you don't need an active electronic valve. It works passively."
Vance looked up at Jonathan, an incredulous smile forming on his face. "This would cut manufacturing costs on our lower-tier prosthetics by forty percent, and eliminate half the field repairs."
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"I know," Jonathan said. "And Miss Carter designed it in a supply closet with a pencil and a ruler while wearing a limb that was falling apart."
Jonathan turned to Vance. "Marcus, scan her right residual limb. I want a custom carbon-composite socket with our latest micro-actuator knee fitted and calibrated before the end of the day. No bureaucracy, no insurance approvals. It's on my personal account."
