OpenBionics
Description
OpenBionics designs and develops affordable, open-source, modular robot hands and prosthetic devices that can be easily built and reproduced with off-the-shelf components.
The robot-hands market is dominated by high cost and maintenance-intensive proprietary products. These may cost between $20,000 and $100,000, putting them well outside the means of many amputees, especially around conflict zones or where there is no access to basic health care. Mainstream prosthetics are also prone to breakdowns, needing frequent repairs and replacements which can only be performed by experts and at high additional cost.
To counter this, OpenBionics has created a digital commons of designs, software and knowhow for the development of anthropomorphic, modular and easily maintained robot and prosthetic hands. The hands can be fabricated with low-cost desktop manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing and computerized numerical control (CNC) machines, and are made using off-the-shelf, low-cost and lightweight materials that can be easily found in hardware stores. Fabrication and assemblage of a full working hand typically takes between four and six hours. These hands are as just as functional as commercially available solutions, but at a fraction (from 0.1 to 1%) of the cost. The modular designs are very simple and require no specialized tooling and, as they are fabricated on-site, they can be repaired and maintained locally.
The OpenBionics website (www.openbionics.org) serves as an online repository of videos, code, designs and tutorials. All of these are available under a Creative Commons license that allows people to share, copy and redistribute the related material in any medium or format and adapt, remix, transform and build upon it for any purpose (including commercial ones). A variety of designs are provided, and website visitors are able to request the files needed to develop a personalized prosthesis by filling out an appropriate form.
In 2015, the OpenBionics initiative won the Robotdalen International Innovation award and has now initiated a collaboration with Robotdalen to perform clinical trials and commercialize affordable prosthetic devices. Among the future plans of the OpenBionics initiative is the creation of a spin-off/start-up company for the commercialization of the derivative designs without compromising their open dissemination and licensing.
Discussion
Vasilis Kostakis:
"OpenBionics, currently part of the New Dexterity Lab at the University of Auckland, demonstrates how integrating advanced technology with local control can make medical devices more accessible. The OpenBionics initiative produces anthropomorphic, modular prosthetic hands that cost only US$200–300 (marginal cost) compared to US$20,000–100,000 for conventional prosthetics, while achieving similar functional capabilities through clever mechanical design (Kostakis et al. Citation2018, Kostakis, Pazaitis, and Liarokapis Citation2023). This dramatic cost reduction is achieved not by compromising on capability, but through deliberate design choices that balance sophistication with simplicity. For example, the prosthetics use a selectively lockable differential mechanism that allows a single actuator to produce 144 different grasping postures – achieving versatility through mechanical design rather than complex electronics.
The initiative takes a mid-tech approach that goes beyond just the technical design. While the OpenBionics projects incorporate high-tech tools like 3D printing and digital design, they also embrace low-tech principles. As Tanguy, Carrière, and Laforest (Citation2023) emphasize, low-tech solutions represent more than just low-energy technical objects, as they embody a design philosophy that is not centered on technology itself. This is evident in OpenBionics’ emphasis on repairability, localized manufacturing, and user modification. Indeed, their focus on maintenance and repair aligns with what Tanguy, Carrière, and Laforest (Citation2023) identify as the ultimate expression of low-tech approaches. The designs are specifically engineered to be produced using off-the-shelf, low-cost, and lightweight materials that can easily be found in typical hardware stores (Kostakis et al. Citation2018). Some versions of OpenBionics prosthetics do not include electronics, which reduces the need for certain minerals and may even utilize the kinetic energy generated by the movement of the elbow.
Moreover, through digital fabrication labs and online knowledge-sharing platforms, communities can produce customized prosthetics at significantly lower costs than traditional medical devices, exemplifying what Tanguy, Carrière, and Laforest (Citation2023) refer to as “collective networks” (i.e., decentralized communities of practice sharing knowledge and capabilities). The modular design allows users to replace individual fingers for around US$10–$20 each, rather than requiring specialized expertise or complete device replacement. The initiative’s success – with designs downloaded thousands of times across more than 150 countries – demonstrates how mid-tech solutions can achieve scale while remaining grounded in local communities and user needs."
(https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15487733.2025.2546166#d1e148)