Bob Radocy has dedicated his life and career to innovating and producing products that allow individuals with limb absence or functional loss to stay active, no matter what sport or recreational activity they choose. 

In 1971 Bob was in an auto accident and lost his left hand about four inches below the elbow. Bob experimented with all types of prosthetic devices, however, was frustrated by the limited performance. In 1977, while in graduate school, he applied his engineering and biological sciences education and design experience to create a high-performance prehensor which allowed him to be competitive with two-handed peers in any activity he chose. Wanting to share his newly developed technology with others that were missing their hand, Bob formed Therapeutic Recreation Systems (TRS) in 1979. 

As the world leader in designing and producing high performance voluntary closing prehensors and bio mechanical hands, Fillauer TRS focuses on innovation that replicates human biomechanics to provide the best possible performance. Fillauer TRS is the global leader solely dedicated to developing sports and recreational systems for those with upper limb loss and limb difference.  

Inspired by you.

Listening to others’ needs is one of the things Bob does best and he rarely turns down a challenge to develop a new product to help someone achieve their goals. A young man, Will Mills, had a terrible accident, and lost his right hand. He was really into playing basketball. Will’s Dad built him a device that worked well, but it just wouldn’t hold together. Ultimately, they contacted Bob, and he immediately began trying ideas that would help Will. After building several prototypes, Bob finally reached a solution that would help Will fulfill his dream of playing basketball – now known as the Mills Rebound Basketball Hand.    

Mike Hummell, a heavy-duty professional weightlifter, contacted Bob after seeing some of his other products and asked if he could make him a prosthetic device that would allow him to handle over 500 pounds so he could continue to participate in weightlifting competitions. Bob went to work thinking Mike was the only person that would use such a product, but he was willing to put in the time to make this man’s dreams come true. After the development, Bob soon realized there were many others like Mike who were so grateful to the man that took the time to develop this one device that would allow them to continue with the sport of weightlifting despite missing a hand. Mike ended up setting a bench-pressing record of over 600 pounds at the Arnold Classic. 

Many users of the products developed by Bob have the same story; they called him for help, and he delivered.  Because of Bob, so many individuals with upper limb absence or functional loss can now ride a bike, ski, golf, kayak, play an instrument, swim, weight lift, rock climb, and the list goes on and on. 

Empowering the world.

Wanting to help as many people as possible, Bob started forming partnerships with distributors in Europe and Canada. By fostering a culture of possibility fueled by a “can-do” attitude, Bob has empowered Europeans and Canadiens living with limb loss or limb differences to participate in a wide selection of activities previously impossible to them. Bob’s unwavering commitment to education, marked by his readiness to guide, instruct, and share knowledge with users, family members, and clinicians across Europe and Canada has further reinforced his influence. This has resulted in a more enlightened perspective toward activity-specific devices among both clinicians and users, magnifying his impact in Europe and Canada. Through his inspiring work, Bob has sparked a new wave of prosthetic device developers and users across Europe, furthering his legacy and impact.  In 2019, Bob sold TRS to Fillauer Companies, Inc. and remains a vital member of the team. 

Bob’s passion for helping those with limb absence or functional loss goes well beyond product innovation. Providing clinicians, OTs, PTs, O&P students, users, and care givers with education has always been a priority for Bob. He has created a variety of videos focusing on how to choose a prosthetic device, how to use the device, how to care for the device and has even provided techniques and tips for weightlifting in the gym.  Bob demonstrates active commitment to tirelessly educate, engage, and thus, empower those with limb absence of functional loss. And, as an athlete himself who is passionate about keeping active and trying new activities, Bob was asked to compete in the first ever Cybathlon. The Cybathlon is an international competition in which teams consisting of technology developers and a person with disabilities tackle various everyday tasks with their latest assistive technologies.  Bob crushed the competition with his body powered GRIP 3 voluntary closing prehensor, taking home the Gold, and leaving everyone amazed at Bob’s abilities and shining personality.