27th October 2025
The Enhancing Skills for Life – Skills for Life 7 workshop in Sugar Land, Texas, united the bilateral limb-difference community from across the United States for three powerful days of connection, learning, and hands-on problem-solving. For Open Bionics, it was a chance to listen, share, and collaborate with the community driving the future of bionic design through lived experience and feedback.
“This workshop focused almost entirely on upper-limb bilateral patients. It’s powerful to see a community built around shared experiences and challenges,” said Travis Heins, CPO and lead clinician at the Open Bionics clinic in Austin, Texas who teamed up with Autumn, an Open Bionics ambassador and quadruple amputee who has been involved in prototyping two Hero PRO devices. During the workshop, Autumn showcased the various features of the Hero PRO for members of the bilateral limb-difference community.
“Everyone was very supportive. Many people recognized me due appearing on the posters and brochures for Open Bionics and made me feel warm and welcomed in the community,” Autumn said. “It was fun to share the Hero PRO with others and watch as they realized a bionic arm could feel comfortable, breathable, and truly useful.”
Between exhibit hours and evening mixers, Autumn put the bionic arms through long days of wear, taking on a variety of tasks and answering questions from attendees eager to see how the Hero PRO’s wireless controls, grip changes, and wrist motion worked in daily life.
“Having my Hero PROs at the conference allowed me to be very active,” Autumn said. “I carried my own bag, held my Starbucks drink, ate lunch, and shook hands with other attendees.”
We invited Autumn to showcase the technology in an informal setting so people could see how she uses the devices to suit her needs. “One of my most meaningful moments at the workshop was speaking to another quad like myself who needed some words of encouragement after only recently becoming a quad,” she said. “I hope that sharing parts of my story helped her keep the faith and not give up. That means more to me than it probably did to her—knowing that I was giving her some strength and positivity in life.”
At the booth, Travis answered additional questions and provided demonstrations of the devices, like how to adjust the muscle signal thresholds of the MyoPods or customize grip sets using the Sidekick app. With Autumn’s support, he was also able to show how the quick-change USMC-standard connector on the Hero Flex makes it possible for users to swap from a multi-grip hand to a task-specific Activity Attachment without removing the arm.
Between demos, Travis stepped into clinician programming to trade insights with peers and gather takeaways for his patients back at the clinic. “You spend the day meeting incredible people, sharing demos, and swapping ideas, then head into sessions and come back buzzing with new ways to help patients.” he said.
Workshops like Skills for Life are powerful because they are built around bilateral needs from the ground up. The program prioritizes peer mentorship, adaptive “life hacks,” and real-world scenarios where the right combination of socket, sensors, grips, and wrist motion can reduce fatigue and expand options. This year’s gathering felt like a milestone, and we’re grateful to the organizers, sponsors, clinicians, and especially the community of limb-different adults and kids who make it what it is.
If you were not able to attend Skills of Life 7, you can book a free bionic arm demo to connect with your nearest Open Bionics clinic and explore the possibilities with the Hero ecosystem.
English 
USA 
German