An inspiring teenager from Bath, Tilly Lockey, who lost both hands to meningitis, has collaborated with the Bristol-based company Open Bionics to test and refine its latest groundbreaking prosthetic limbs—the Hero RGD and Hero PRO—over the last four years. The highly-anticipated devices, officially launched on Thursday, April 3, feature a range of revolutionary features that have never before been available in bionic technology.
The two arms stand as the first completely waterproof and wireless bionic hands, representing a significant breakthrough for amputees. Notably, they are also the fastest bionic hands on the market and remain the lightest. Key features include a 35kg lifting capacity, 360-degree wrist rotation, and wireless MyoPod sensors that detect muscle signals, allowing wearers to intuitively control the hand. Additionally, the devices offer interchangeable magnetic covers featuring official Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney designs.
Tilly, who has been using earlier versions of the Hero Arm for almost a decade, played an integral role in testing the new designs and providing feedback to the development team. She expressed her excitement, stating, “The new arms launched today 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. I now have 360 rotation in my wrists, I can flex them too. There literally isn’t a single other arm that can do this. 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.”
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The launch coincides with Open Bionics' tenth anniversary and a significant milestone of over 1,000 users worldwide. The company, known for utilizing 3D printing to produce affordable multi-grip hands, was founded in 2014 and is led by Samantha Payne MBE and Joel Gibbard MBE—recipients of the Princess Royal Silver Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering last year.
Samantha Payne shared, “It’s a very exciting time for everyone at Open Bionics and our community in the UK, US, and Germany in particular. The design pushes the very boundaries of what is physically possible. All componentry is held in the palm of the hand, making it the first design ever built to house a battery enabling wireless control and importantly enabling amputees to be able to get it wet without worrying about frying electronics—something that has plagued amputees with bionic hands for a very long time. It also enables amputees to disconnect their bionic hand and swap it out for a sport attachment.”
The newly launched arms are approved by both the MHRA and the US FDA, and in the US, they are funded through Medicare and Medicaid. Tilly, now a prominent influencer and advocate for limb difference, continues to raise awareness about bionic technology and its life-changing potential.