A UK startup has unveiled the world’s first wireless bionic arm, capable of working when detached from the wearer.
Bristol-based Open Bionics spent four years developing its latest Hero bionic arm, which it claims is the world’s most advanced robotic limb.
“It’s twice as fast and twice as strong as leading bionic hands while also being the lightest hand available – and the first ever to be fully waterproof and completely wireless,” Samantha Payne, co-founder and CEO of Open Bionics, told The Independent.
“It’s a huge step change for the industry and we’ve been really warmed by the interest and excitement from both the medical field and patients. It is the stuff of sci-fi.”
The device uses wireless EMG electrodes called MyoPods that sit on top of an amputee’s arm and read their muscle signals. These signals are then used to command the bionic fingers to move.
19-year-old Tilly Lockey, who lost both hands to meningitis as a toddler, has been wearing bionic arms developed by Open Bionics for the last nine years.
Her feedback was used to help develop the latest model, which she says is unrivalled in terms of functionality and technology.
“Even though I knew the new tech would be good, I still wasn’t expecting to be shocked by the level of progress,” she said.
“The arms are so much stronger. I can remove my own hand and have it crawl across a table and back to me controlling it via the wireless sensors in my socket. You just can’t imagine how epic this tech is.”
Since launching in 2014, Open Bionics has reached over 1,000 users, deploying 3D scanning and 3D printing to provide custom bionic arms for amputees.
The latest model allows wearers to swap out the hand for other attachments, allowing them to easily switch between different activities.
“I now have 360-degree rotation in my wrists, I can flex them too. There literally isn’t a single other arm that can do this,” Ms Lockey said.
“No other arm is wireless and waterproof, and it’s faster than everything else and it’s still the lightest bionic hand available. I don’t know how they’ve done it. I’m so much stronger than I’ve ever been.”
