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Paralyzed Jockey Loses Ability to Walk After Manufacturer Refuses to Fix Battery For His $100,000 Exoskeleton (www.404media.co)

submitted 2 months ago by some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org to c/technology@lemmy.world

129 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Apologies for posting a pay walled article. Consider subscribing to 404. They’re a journalist-founded org, so you could do worse for supporting quality journalism.

Trained repair professionals at hospitals are regularly unable to fix medical devices because of manufacturer lockout codes or the inability to obtain repair parts. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, broken ventilators sat unrepaired for weeks or months as manufacturers were overwhelmed with repair requests and independent repair professionals were locked out of them. At the time, I reported that independent repair techs had resorted to creating DIY dongles loaded with jailbroken Ukrainian firmware to fix ventilators without manufacturer permission. Medical device manufacturers also threatened iFixit because it posted ventilator repair manuals on its website. I have also written about people with sleep apnea who have hacked their CPAP machines to improve their basic functionality and to repair them.

PS: he got it repaired.

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[–] cmrn@lemmy.world 112 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Keeping repairs locked into your system of parts/techs can at least feign “safety” or “quality”.

But essentially just refusing to repair is an absolute fuck you.

I’ve started choosing the companies I use based much more on the experience offered when their product/service DOESN’T work, rather than when it does.

[–] RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works 51 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I’ve started choosing the companies I use based much more on the experience offered when their product/service DOESN’T work, rather than when it does.

Easy to do for a cell phone or a toaster, but I can't imagine there's a ton of options for exosuits that correct your condition, covered by your insurance, that your doctor is familiar enough with to prescribe (for lack of a better term).

Some things are annoying to make abandonware, and some things should be criminal.

[–] T156@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

And it doesn't preclude the company just deciding your product is no longer worth supporting/going bankrupt.

It might have been fine and seemingly trustworthy to begin with, and then it stops, a few years down the line.

[–] cmrn@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

That’s the most dangerous part of it for sure. Inherently, the more a company has a monopoly over an industry, the less incentive they have to actually do a good job with anything.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz -2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Don't buy a Google Pixel. I'll never get one again because of this. They wanted 250£ to even look at it so I got a new cheap Samsung out of spite.

[–] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If i buy A pixel i will buy A refurbished one because no fucking way am I gonna give google money.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

And put grapheneOS on it.

Btw I've never been charged to look at a phone and I have two pixels, assuming their claim is accurate either the other poster was being scammed or they were buying it online and the online store wanted a deposit to prevent theft or cover damages before shipping it so they could "see it" (which isn't something I've ever heard of but I suppose it is possible.) Either way I doubt it has much to do with the pixel itself, but I could be wrong I suppose, it has happened before.

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

For me it's a mix of what you said and how they treat their employees/where they're making the product.

I spend extra time trying to find higher priced, higher quality, more fairly manufactured products.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That latter requirement is usually a good indicator of the former requirement. Companies that take care of their people typically end up making quality products.

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 1 points 2 months ago

Indeed

[–] fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago

Right it begs the question.

Is me not receiving care or having access to care REALLY better for me?

If the answer can't clearly be yes, then they are just choosing to make me ill or kill me for their perceived interests.