How Aadeel Akhtar and PSYONIC Created the First Touch-Sensing Bionic Hand for Humans and Robots

In this talk

1. 2:02

   From an early encounter to a company

   A childhood visit to Pakistan, where Akhtar met a girl who had lost a leg, shaped his interest in improving access to prosthetics. He combined biology with computer science, then pursued engineering and neuroscience alongside medical training. After a first prototype helped a man in Ecuador make a pinch with his hand decades after losing it, Akhtar decided to commercialize the technology through PSYONIC.

2. 9:38

   Connecting the hand to the body

   Akhtar describes research with clinicians in San Diego on attaching a bionic hand to the forearm using a titanium bone implant and electrodes in nerves and muscles. The approach aims to improve comfort and signal quality compared with external sensors, while enabling more natural control, including individual finger movements. A live demonstration showed the host controlling the hand remotely by moving his own fingers.

3. 15:21

   Making advanced prosthetics more accessible

   PSYONIC designed its hand with Medicare coverage in mind, which Akhtar says expanded access from about 10% to 75% of Americans who could afford it. The company’s Ability Fund works with nonprofit partners to support recipients, including a high school student born without a hand who was preparing to receive a permanent device. Crowdfunding also let some users invest in the company.

4. 21:11

   Scaling a hand for people and robots

   The team grew from seven people to around 35 after moving to San Diego, and Akhtar says it is redesigning the hand to make manufacturing easier. Production was expected to reach five times the prior year’s level, with a future design intended for much higher annual volumes. The same hand can attach to a human prosthesis or robot arms such as Kinova and UR5 systems, and to humanoid robots including Apptronik’s and NASA’s Valkyrie.

5. 27:08

   Technology, investment, and the long view

   Akhtar credits smaller, cheaper microcontrollers with making compact bionic hands practical, and sees efficient on-device AI as a likely next step. He also recounts PSYONIC’s Shark Tank pitch, where a board-breaking demonstration showcased the hand’s durability, and explains that the televised deal still required later due diligence. He closes by saying gratitude helps sustain him through demanding work.