22nd May 2026
For years, above-elbow limb differences have been underserved by prosthetic technology. We’ve heard feedback that devices available to them were too heavy and the ventilation so poor that wearing one for a full day was rarely an option. Our clinical and engineering teams have spent years working alongside the community to develop a lightweight, modular, 3D-printed system that works from the moment it is fitted. Praveen’s fitting this week is the result of that work.
Praveen at our Midtown Manhattan clinic.
Praveen is a 43-year-old physicist from the Bronx, New York. At just eight days old, a complication at birth cut off blood supply to his arm. To prevent gangrene, the life-threatening death of body tissue, spreading further, surgeons had no choice but to amputate. For the next four decades, Praveen found ways to manage. But as a physicist who machines steel, builds complex electrical connections, and solders circuit boards, there were always moments where one arm was never going to be enough.
“There are moments in my work where I could really do with three arms.”
Praveen’s prosthetic journey started in childhood. As a young boy he used hooks, which he found restrictive. Around the age of eight he got his first myoelectric arm.
Praveen aged 8 with his first myoelectric arm.
“Pretty basic open and close, very heavy and uncomfortable.” — Praveen
He stopped using prosthetics altogether after that.
In 2018 he tried again, investing in an advanced myoelectric device. The same issues resurfaced. Weight, breathability, fragility.
“I have actually hit my face when trying to use the device, triggering a wrist rotation I didn’t want. There were so many wires and complicated grips to remember. I don’t think anyone actually needs a 360 degree spinning wrist.” — Praveen
The device eventually stopped being part of his daily life. But going without a prosthetic had its own costs. Tying his shoes. Tying a tie. Hammering a nail in. Grabbing awkwardly shaped boxes. Tasks that required holding and twisting two things at the same time in his work as an experimental physicist.
“With a bit of creativity and adaptation I was able to do quite a few things without prosthetics. Building little tools and contraptions, clamps to hold things while working on them. But there’s a limit to what you can do ultimately. And sometimes it is really nice to not have to be creative about the simpler everyday things.” — Praveen
Within 60 minutes of being fitted, Praveen was holding his dog’s leash with both hands, gripping tools at his workbench, and opening a soda can unaided. Designed for responsive, intuitive control from the first fitting with no complicated grip sequences.
“This system is the lightest option I have ever worn. I love that it’s modular. You can attach an activity-specific attachment for hobbies or chores, then clip in a bionic hand for two-handed activities. I’m so excited to use this daily.” — Praveen
“Seeing Praveen walk down the street confident, coffee in one hand and dog leash in the other, after being fitted at our Midtown Manhattan clinic, is exactly what drives the work we do here at Open Bionics.” — Daniel Green, Upper Limb Prosthetist, Open Bionics New York
At Open Bionics, upper limb prosthetics is not something we do alongside other things. It is all we have been focusing on for the past decade. Expanding Hero FLEX to be suitable for above-elbow limb differences is a significant step in making advanced bionic limbs more accessible, and Praveen’s fitting this week marks a new chapter for accessibility.
If you are an arm amputee or were born with an arm limb difference and want to find out whether Hero FLEX is right for you, request information from your local Open Bionics clinic.
Request Information →
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