Physicist First to Get Full 3D-Printed Bionic Arm

The Hero FLEX is made by Open Bionics, a British prosthetics firm that earlier built the world's first clinically approved 3D-printed bionic hand. Its socket is 3D scanned and printed to match each user's body. It then connects to wireless muscle sensors called MyoPods, which read shoulder and arm flexes and send them to the fingers via Bluetooth. The system also has a modular design, letting wearers swap between a bionic hand and special attachments for gardening, pool, and other activities. Open Bionics co-founder Samantha Payne said extending Hero FLEX to above-elbow amputees brings advanced bionics to those who can benefit most.

At about four pounds, the arm is less than half the weight of his earlier prosthetic, so he can wear it most of the day instead of just 30 minutes. He has put it to work lifting boxes, opening doors, soldering circuit boards in his physics lab, and cutting food in the kitchen. Daniel Green, an Upper Limb Prosthetist at the clinic, said the launch came from teams pushing to expand a popular product. Gowtham, who waited about a year for the above-elbow version, said attitudes toward prosthetics are changing as wearable technology grows more common.