2025 Robotics Summit Closing Keynote

In this talk

1. 0:04

   From curiosity to prosthetics

   Actar traces his interest in bionic limbs to meeting a child in Pakistan who used a branch as a crutch. After studying biology and computer science, he saw neurally controlled prosthetics as a way to combine medicine with engineering. He says existing multi-finger hands were costly, fragile, heavy, and offered little touch feedback.

2. 7:25

   A first patient, and a company

   Actar recounts developing successive hand prototypes at the University of Illinois and testing one in Ecuador with the Range of Motion Project. After overnight debugging, Juan Sukio, who had lost his hand decades earlier, controlled the device and made a pinch for the first time in years. The experience led Actar to pursue commercialization through PSYONIC.

3. 20:09

   Designing for daily use

   Actar says the Ability Hand was available nationwide by September 2021 and was being used by more than 200 patients and 50 robotics companies. He describes muscle-based control, touch sensors that communicate through vibration, water resistance, a weight of about 480 to 490 grams, and a grip capacity of up to 140 pounds. He says Medicare coverage expanded the share of U.S. patients able to afford it from about 10% to 75%.

4. 29:20

   One hand for people and robots

   PSYONIC has supplied hands for robotics applications including NASA's Valkyrie humanoid, where human users' experience helped reveal useful grips for tasks such as operating a zipper. Actar also describes research with nerve and brain implants, including a demonstration in which a volunteer controlled individual fingers through a phone app. He says the team hopes to begin clinical trials of nerve implants in roughly 18 months.

5. 38:24

   Expanding access

   Actar says the Ability Fund aims to help people who cannot afford prosthetic care, including recipients in Guatemala and Ecuador. He cites a $25,000 package for an Ability Hand and clinical services, and a $25,000 donation for a prosthetic leg. He introduces Ivan Christ, a 16-year-old from South San Diego who recently received a hand through the fund.