In 2017, 57.7 million people were living with limb amputation due to traumatic causes worldwide. Artificial limbs of the future will be better than biologic limbs: faster, stronger, with extra functionalities, says Dima Gazda, CEO of Esper Bionics. 

Apart from accidents, a person might need an amputation due to vascular diseases and diabetes. 

You might have come across increasingly sophisticated prosthetic limbs, which mimic human movements. The problem is, these are extremely expensive. Simple cosmetic prosthetic costs around $5,000, a functional prosthetic with a hook up to $10,000, and the latest myoelectric tech-enhanced ones cost up to $100,000.

Why so expensive?

The biggest factor for high prices, says Dima Gazda, is that market leaders don’t have incentives to reduce prices. Esper Bionics wants to challenge that. 

How does an artificial hand mimic movements? 

Esper Bionics combines various sorts of technologies and approaches for the best possible outcome for the patient. Combining mechatronics AI and IOT doesn’t require implantable sensors. “This is a fully wearable device, no implanted electronics are needed to control the hand. The hand is controlled with the help of surface sensors on the skin, which detect which muscle exactly was activated in forearm or shoulder in residual limb, with the help of electromyography (EMG),” Dima Gazda explains. 

Future artificial limbs will exceed human capabilities

Artificial limbs will be very close by dexterity to biological hands. They will improve over time and in many actions, they will be better than biological hands. Sometimes stronger, sometimes faster. Sometimes there will be extra functions. For example, to control the digital world with sensors, people wear prostheses with which they can not only tap with five fingers but use all muscles they have in the residual part of the limbs. And they will type faster than we can today. Additional technologies such as sensors will be increasingly functional in the digital world. 

Tune in to the full episode: 

Questions addressed: 

• An amputation is a severe disability with a very big impact on an individual’s quality of life. How did you start working in the field? 

• Prices of a bionic arm range from a few thousand to a few ten thousand dollars. Where are you in the price range?

• How do you see the affordability challenge?  

• In 2017, 57.7 million people were living with limb amputation due to traumatic causes worldwide. Leading traumatic causes of limb amputation were falls (36.2%), road injuries (15.7%), other transportation injuries (11.2%), and mechanical forces (10.4%). On top of that, every year, vascular diseases (induced by diabetes or peripheral artery diseases), cancer, or traumatic injuries are the cause of approximately 185,000 amputations performed in the United States alone. How do you look at this growing problem as a doctor? 

• Can you explain the mechanic and how the bionic hand gets impulses from the body? 

• How does the self-improvement of artificial arms work? 

• This is an electronic implant. What does the introduction/adoption of the solution look like? 

• What are the consequences of removing or replacing the bionic arm? 

• You founded several companies in Ukraine before moving to the US in 2019, where you still are at the moment. How do you look at the European and the US market?