Test as Soon as Possible On as Many People as Possible: Alfons Carnicero Carmona of Able Human Motion | Episode 13 of Twist of Fate

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Alfons Carnicero Carmona is the CEO of Able Human Motion, a startup that’s promoting mobility with the help of robotic exoskeletons. Alfons spoke to Douglas Younger III on Twist of Fate, a small-business podcast, about his journey to leadership, how he developed his products, and what he’s getting ready to unveil to the public. Along the way, the two offer universal tips to anyone hoping to get ahead in the business world. 

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The Road to Able 

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Able Human Motion is based in Barcelona and was founded after Alfons’ father suffered from a stroke. He watched his father go through rehab with limited mobility and was stunned by the lack of innovation that he saw. The whole field still functions largely as it did 50 years ago, which is truly a travesty when you think about how far other fields have managed to come. 

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After majoring in industrial engineering, he paired education with empathy to build a business that would change healthcare as we know it. His skeletons are lighter than anything else on the market, and they require no tools to take on or off. They’re human-centric, meaning they’re designed to move like we move. After many iterations, he’s getting ready to roll out his products in Europe. 

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Testing: Theory Vs. Real Life 

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All of us know what it’s like to read or hear something in a classroom or a training session, only to find that what you learned was largely irrelevant to what you really needed to know. Alfons and Doug talked about how many types of injuries and impairments there are out there and how that ultimately affects each person’s body. There’s so much variation that it can almost feel like starting from scratch every time. When everyone is different, you can get a lot of experience very quickly if you’re willing to do the work. 

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This is really the crux of any entrepreneur’s journey: how well do you really know your customers? Do you view them in terms of demographics or do you see them all as individuals with their own agendas? Alfons built numerous prototypes. He asked for endless feedback both from patients and practitioners. He used that feedback to make improvements. He was tireless when it came to getting it right. 

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You may not be designing exoskeletons, but you should internalize this process for life. Because no matter how big you end up getting, you should always want to know if there’s a better way. Sometimes you shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broke, but other times you need to be ready to pivot. 

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Alfons on Money, Teamwork, and Change  

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There are plenty of people trying to “disrupt” their industries. They start with promising results and a killer marketing campaign. And ultimately, they go nowhere. In healthcare, part of the problem is that practitioners aren’t always easy to change, but some of it comes down to costs. People can’t get their idea up and running because it’s simply too expensive to scale. 

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Alfons doesn’t want to sell just a few exoskeletons. He’s building a business model so it’s affordable enough for thousands of people to use. And he’s relying on a team to make it happen. He’s gathered numerous people to ensure he has enough support along the way. 

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Younger points out that heroism isn’t scalable, meaning an entrepreneur can only shoulder the burdens of their company for so long before they eventually break under the weight. It’s a lesson for anyone who’s attempting to squeeze their way into the market and one that Alfons grasped early on. 

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