15th April 2025
After spending $2.5m and four years on research and development incorporating feedback from around 1,000 existing Hero Arm users, British robotics company, Open Bionics, launches the state-of-the-art Hero RGD (Rugged) and Hero PRO bionic hands.
These bionic hands are two times faster than leading bionic hands, and are the only fully wireless and waterproof bionic arms available in the world.
Instagram influencer Tilly Lockey, 19, has been wearing two Hero Arms for 9 years after losing both hands to meningitis as a toddler. Tilly was instrumental in the development of the new bionic technology and said she couldn’t believe how much more advanced the new hands are.
Tilly, while wearing two Hero PRO prototypes, said: “I’ve been giving Open Bionics feedback non-stop the entire time and even though I knew the new tech would be good, I still wasn’t expecting to be shocked by the level of progress.
The arms launched 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. It’s awesome. I’m so much stronger than I’ve ever been.”
Conor Cox, a farmer in Kansas, commented on testing the Hero RGD bionic hand, a ruggedised multi-grip bionic hand designed for tough working environments “I’ve been using the Hero RGD from sun up to sun down for tasks around the farm. Whether it’s scooping things out of bunks, shovelling straw, carrying buckets of grain, or working with water. I love that I don’t have to switch prosthetics, this hand does all, lift heavy, waterproof, solid grip.“
Founded by CEOs and Co Founders, Samantha Payne MBE and Joel Gibbard MBE, Open Bionics has won a string of prestigious global awards and recognition for robotics and engineering. Last year the pair, from Bristol, England, were recognised by HRH Princess Anne with the Princess Royal Silver Medal award at the Royal Academy of Engineering for their contribution to British engineering and innovation.
The new innovations come as the company celebrates 10 years of operations and reaching over 1,000 users of their bionic technology.
Open Bionics operates 6 specialist clinical sites dedicated to Upper Limb amputees only and will launch 6 more clinical locations this year. The upper limb focused company has amassed over 100 5 star reviews from patients for their technology and clinical care.
Every device made by Open Bionics is completely custom and regulated by medical standards and institutions like the FDA. The devices are PDAC approved and funded by multiple reimbursement companies including state healthcare Medicare and Medicaid.
Samantha Payne said: “It’s a very exciting time for everyone at Open Bionics and our community. This has been years of hard work. 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.
Using the pioneering USMC-standard wrist connector it also enables amputees to disconnect their bionic hand and clip in a sports attachment in a few clicks. At the moment, arm amputees carry multiple arms around during the day to be able to access different activities like the workplace and then the gym. Now, you just need one wireless arm and you can use any attachment you like, bionic hand, or sport attachment. No more lugging around multiple arms.”
The Hero Arm devices use wireless EMG electrodes called MyoPods that sit on top of an amputee’s arm and read their muscle signals, those signals are picked up by the MyoPods and command the bionic fingers to move.
The devices are the only bionic limbs available where children and adults can alter their appearance by magnetic covers in the style of officially licensed superhero designs like Iron Man.
Clinicians and individuals can book a free demo, explore full product specs, and connect with the expert team
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