A young Scottish company developing a "world-first" mechanical bionic hand has secured £800,000 in seed funding to further its work.
Based in Edinburgh, Metacarpal is using advanced engineering techniques to create a "highly functional" prosthetic hand that is completely controlled and powered by body motion. By providing a better alternative, the company hopes to enhance the acceptance rate of prosthetics among patients.
The NHS estimates that between 26% and 45% of upper-limb amputees choose to wear no prosthetic at all rather than any products currently available. Meanwhile, the global market for upper limb prosthetics is forecasted to reach $1.2 billion (£91m) by 2028.
Metacarpal was founded by University of Strathclyde product design engineering graduate Fergal Mackie in 2020 who was inspired by an accident he had in the final year of his studies. He had to discover new ways of completing his daily tasks after falling over and breaking both of his wrists, which sparked his interest in prosthetics.
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“Metacarpal was established to create a better quality of life for amputees," Mr Mackie said.
"With the use of truly revolutionary, unique and disruptive technology, our body-powered bionic hand is raising the standard of upper-limb prosthetics. It is the only device to utilise reactive body-power technology giving fingers individual motion."
Mr Mackie said the majority of development in prosthetics to date has focused on robotic hands, leaving a large gap in the market for body-powered devices. The bionic hand combines body-powered control with the functionality of a myoelectric prosthetic, providing five-finger motion, variable grips and wrist positions without the need for electronics.
The funding has been provided by SIS Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Worth Capital, Oxford Technology, the University of Strathclyde, and Gabriel Investment Syndicate. The money will allow Metacarpal to finalise the product and begin manufacturing, and double its headcount to eight.
Mr Mackie said his ultimate ambition is to change the lives of those with limb differences, while continuing development of the technology and expanding its capabilities in prosthetics.
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“The success of the seed funding round is a huge milestone for the business, which will enable us to develop our bionic into a commercially viable product with the potential to change the lives of prosthetics users," he added. "I cannot wait to see the impact that it has."
Metacarpal follows in the footsteps of another Scottish-based company, Touch Bionics, which was the first to develop an electronically-powered prosthetic hand with five independently-powered fingers.
The company's i-limb was the brainchild of David Gow, a Dumfries-born mechanical engineer who started researching upper limb prosthetics at the University of Edinburgh in the 1980s. Now based in Livingston, the company was established in 2003 after being spun out of the National Health Service.
Touch Bionics was sold to Icelandic orthopaedics group in 2016 in a deal worth £27.5m. Reykjavik-based Össur said at the time that the time that the Scottish acquisition would allow it to offer a complete bionic product portfolio to customers in the prosthetic industry.
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