Research Area · Prosthetics

Limb
Prosthetics

Advanced bionic arms, hands, and legs that restore natural movement — from individual finger control to full-limb replacement — through precise electromechanical engineering and adaptive AI control.

Arms Hands Legs Feet Myoelectric Neural Interface

Overview

Prosthetic limb technology has advanced dramatically in recent decades — but the gap between what's possible in a laboratory and what's available to a person who has lost a limb remains enormous. Bionic Foundation's prosthetics research program works to close that gap, across both upper and lower limb systems, by building devices that are mechanically precise, neurologically connected, and practically useful in everyday life.

Our approach centers on three principles: natural control (devices that respond to intent, not just surface signals), sensory feedback (devices that communicate back to the user), and durability (devices that survive real use over years, not just demonstration conditions).

Research Programs

Upper Limb Systems

Phase II Trial

BF-7 Bionic Arm

Full transhumeral and shoulder disarticulation replacement

The BF-7 is a full-arm system providing 16-axis control from shoulder to fingertip, powered by a hybrid myoelectric/pattern-recognition control system. Phase II clinical trial — 94% task completion rate in activities of daily living.

Clinical Validation

Multi-Articulating Hand

Individual finger prosthetic with grip force sensing

Our multi-articulating hand prosthesis features individually actuated fingers with embedded grip-force sensors and vibrotactile feedback, giving users a sense of object firmness and texture through the device.

Deployed

Partial Hand System

Prosthetics for finger and partial hand amputations

Modular partial-hand prosthetics designed for the full spectrum of partial hand loss — from single finger to transmetacarpal amputations — with direct socket fabrication support for clinical partners.

Applied Research

Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Interface

Enhanced neural control for upper limb prosthetics

Research program developing TMR protocols that increase the number of usable myoelectric control sites, enabling more intuitive and simultaneous control of complex bionic arm movements.

Research Programs

Lower Limb Systems

Deployed

Microprocessor Knee System

Adaptive stance and swing phase control

A next-generation microprocessor-controlled knee prosthesis with real-time gait-cycle sensing and adaptive hydraulic resistance — enabling safe walking on uneven terrain, inclines, and stairs.

Clinical Validation

Bionic Ankle-Foot System

Powered push-off with terrain adaptation

A powered ankle-foot prosthesis with embedded motor-driven push-off that replicates the natural energy return of the biological ankle — reducing metabolic cost of walking for transtibial amputees by up to 30%.

Implementation Program

Osseointegrated Mounting System

Direct skeletal attachment for lower limb prosthetics

Research and clinical support program for osseointegrated (direct bone-anchored) prosthetic mounting systems, which eliminate socket discomfort and improve proprioceptive feedback for lower limb users.

Clinical Partnerships

We partner with prosthetic clinics, rehabilitation centers, and VA facilities to support device fitting, training, and long-term follow-up. Interested in partnering?

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An initiative of the Odegard Foundation · Founded 2016 by Philip Odegard