On April 29, 2023, Innevation Center member company Adaract was awarded a total of $400,000 in investment and grant funds to help further their venture bringing revolutionary muscle actuators for prosthetics from proof-of-concept to their next iterations in robotics, lighter aircraft, and more. In a competition of more than 100 Nevada-based startups, Adaract was the reigning victor.
Adaract was born in the Innevation Center Makerspace hailing from a senior Capstone project by co-founders Joe Hill, Francis Budu-Manuel, and other senior mechanical engineering students wherein the team created a fully functional prosthetic leg with the muscle actuator technology. Marcus D'ambrosio and Clay Payson joined the team shortly thereafter and today, Adaract holds a designated workstation in the Makerspace where they work to further their technology. Adaract also occupies space in the Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR) on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
As stated on the company's website, "Founded on the belief that technology has the power to transform lives, Adaract is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motion technology and creating innovative products that can disrupt industries and empower humanity."