Open Bionics is a UK-based company that develops low-cost, 3D printed

bionic Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...

arms for amputees with below elbow amputations. Their bionic arms are fully functional, with lights, bio feedback vibrations, and different functions that allow the user to grab, pinch, high-five, fist bump, and thumbs-up. The company is based inside Future Space, co-located with

Bristol Robotics Laboratory The Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), established in 2004, is the largest academic centre for multi-disciplinary robotics research in the UK. It is the result of a collaboration between the University of Bristol , mottoeng ...

. The company was founded in 2014 by Joel Gibbard MBE and Samantha Payne MBE. In 2020 Joel Gibbard and Samantha Payne were awarded MBEs for their services to Innovation, Engineering, and Technology. Star_Wars_Bionic_hand

Partnerships

In 2015,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

and Open Bionics announced a partnership to create superhero-themed prosthetics for young amputees. In the same year, the company won the 2015

James Dyson Award The James Dyson Award is an international student design award that challenges young people to, "design something that solves a problem". The contest is open to university level students (or recent graduates) in the fields of product design, ind ...

in the UK for innovative engineering and Tech4Good's 2015 Accessibility Award. In 2016, it won a

Bloomberg Business ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

Innovators award. In January 2019,

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

partnered with Open Bionics to give 13-year-old double amputee

Tilly Lockey Tilly Lockey (born 7 October 2005) is a British amputee known for her bionic arms developed by Open Bionics, which she has used since 2016. In 2021, she competed and went on to win the sixth series of the CBBC competition series '' Got What It Ta ...

a pair of Alita-inspired bionic Hero Arms for the London premiere of '' Alita: Battle Angel''. Lockey lost both of her hands when she contracted meningococcal septicemia at 15 months of age. In 2020, Open Bionics partnered with gaming company

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

to create 'Venom Snake' Hero Arm covers, which are featured in the 2015 video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Funding

In January 2019, Open Bionics raised

Series A A series A round (also known as series A financing or series A investment) is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchan ...

funding of $5.9 million. The round was led by Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund, Ananda Impact Ventures and Downing Ventures, with participation from F1's Williams Advanced Engineering Group among others.

References

External links

* Bionics Medical technology companies of the United Kingdom Prosthetic manufacturers Engineering companies of England Companies based in Bristol 2014 establishments in England English brands {{UK-company-stub