MTE Devices, Inc., was founded in August 2006.  Ron Edwards, of MTE Devices, began losing strength in both shoulders and arms in the fall of 2005. After rotator cuff surgery on one shoulder, Ron did not get stronger. He found he was losing strength faster than before the surgery, even with therapy. Ron was diagnosed with Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, in April 2006.  By May, his shoulders and arms had become so weak he was unable to continue to feed himself. His wife, Linda Edwards, of MTE Devices, Inc., set out to find a device to assist him with that task.  After an extensive search, she was unable to find any product that would perform the necessary task. Because of a desperate desire to help her husband, Linda set out to build a device herself. She felt that if she could create a device that would assist him, he would gain back his independence and confidence.

"The Arm Thing" was created because of the desperate need, but with its creation, it gave back Ron’s self-sufficiency and independence. Most importantly, it made him feel better about himself and with that confidence, he has continued to dine out with his friends. Bolstered by the success of "The Arm Thing" in providing self-reliance and independence to Ron and encouraged by medical professionals, the Edwards decided to take “The Arm Thing” into full production.