The verified answer
As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies Open Bionics: 2 models, 5 deployments across 4 regions, $6.4M raised. 1 source back the record.
CategoryWearable AI
Overview
Open Bionics is a Bristol-based bionics company developing the Hero Arm, a 3D-printed multi-grip myoelectric prosthetic arm for upper limb amputees. Founded in 2014, the company has expanded to operate clinical clinics across the US and UK, and is co-located with the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Co-founders Joel Gibbard and Samantha Payne were awarded MBEs in 2020 for services to innovation and technology.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 5 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
DEPLOY VERIFIEDPriced roundSeries A post-money
Key facts
Robot
Products
Technology
Features
CEO
Total fundingsee investors →
US clinics
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (2)
View all models →Current platform
Hero Arm
The Hero Arm is a 3D-printed multi-grip myoelectric prosthetic arm for upper limb amputees. It features intuitive muscle-controlled grip patterns, bio feedback vibrations, and a lightweight Nylon 12 construction. It was the first 3D-printed bionic arm to receive PDAC approval in the US.
Previous platform
Hero Arm
Open Bionics' Hero Arm is a lightweight 3D-printed myoelectric prosthetic arm for people with below-elbow limb difference; sensors detect residual-muscle signals for intuitive multi-grip control. Newer Hero PRO and Hero RGD variants are wireless and waterproof.
Open Bionics on the deployment map
View the global map5 verified deployments across 4 regions, newest verified Jun 2024. Explore where Open Bionics's robots are operating, by place and type.
- operationalHero Arm at 12 US clinics (LA, Charlotte, Denver, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, NYC, PA, Nashville, TX, VA) →North America · verified Jun 2024
- operationalHero Arm at Bristol Clinic, UK →Europe · verified Jun 2024
- operationalHero Arm at United States (800+ Hanger Clinic locations) →United States · verified Jan 2023
- operationalHero Arm at Hanger Clinic (800+ locations, USA) →North America · verified Jan 2019
- operationalHero Arm at United Kingdom →Western Europe · verified Jan 2018
View the full Open Bionics deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Joel Gibbard Co-Founder & CEOsecondary-verified
- Samantha Payne Co-Founder & COO, COO & Co-Foundersecondary-verified
Founders (2)
- Joel Gibbardcofounder
- Samantha Paynecofounder
Safety record
No incidents on record for Open Bionics.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Open Bionics5 deployments
Recent coverage
Open Bionics in third-party press
Peers
35 peers across 1 segment. Every Open Bionics competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
wearable(35)
32 companies in this segment · highly_concentrated (HHI 2595.3892239124602) · leader Oculus VR at 4361%
- Baidudirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Based Hardwaredirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Beedirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Brilliant Labsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Dexcomdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Esper Bionicsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
Financial state
- Total funding
- $6.4M
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (1)
- Series A2023-01-01
$6M(reported) · $38M post
Timeline
Every recorded move in Open Bionics’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeries A funding round
2023-01-01Series A raising $6400000
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJun 24, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 1, 2024
Hero Arm at 12 US clinics (LA, Charlotte, Denver, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, NYC, PA, Nashville, TX, VA)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 1, 2024
Hero Arm at Bristol Clinic, UK
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2023
Hero Arm at United States (800+ Hanger Clinic locations)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2019
Hero Arm at Hanger Clinic (800+ locations, USA)
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is Open Bionics?
What does Open Bionics make?
Who competes with Open Bionics?
Who is the CEO of Open Bionics?
Where is Open Bionics headquartered?
How much funding has Open Bionics raised?
Where does Open Bionics operate robots?
How many robots has Open Bionics deployed?
Is Open Bionics a top robotics company?
Is Open Bionics safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Open Bionics.In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Open Bionics from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Our Story - Making 3D Prosthetics Beautiful
Open Bionics was founded in 2014 by Joel Gibbard and Samantha Payne, growing from the Open Hand project to develop affordable 3D-printed bionic arms, now operating clinics across…
Hero Arm: First 3D Printed Bionic Arm to Receive PDAC Approval
Open Bionics' Hero Arm became the first 3D-printed bionic arm to receive PDAC approval, a significant milestone in insurance coverage for multi-grip myoelectric prosthetics in the…
Open Bionics Co-founders Awarded MBEs for Prosthetic Technology
Joel Gibbard and Samantha Payne, co-founders of Open Bionics, were each awarded MBEs for their work democratizing bionic technology and services to innovation, engineering, and…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/open-bionics.md
- RSS feed: /companies/open-bionics/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/569f9ab8-b127-4cbd-933a-f6edd00da49a
- Revision history: /companies/open-bionics/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Video
Open Bionics, Eidos-Montréal and Razer are working together to bring Deus Ex inspired augmentations to life. The three companies will partner up to help bridge the gap between fiction and reality, working together to des
Tilly demonstrates how the Hero Arm's proportional control grip and posable wrist can be used to easily pour and drink water. - Find out more: https://openbion
Issiah's just getting started, and we can't wait to follow both his college football career and his Hero Arm journey!
Tilly demonstrates how to quickly turn your bionic arm on/ off ready for use. - Find out more: https://openbionics.com/ - Book a free demo: https://openbionic
Jon Shieber talks to Samantha Payne of Open Bionics about working with Disney and the design challenges of robotic hands before getting a look at the Deus Ex mo
Heat Index
Category contender75/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Open Bionics draws attention at the 44th percentile but verifies reality at the 88th percentile among wearable robots. Hype Gap -43.8, 32nd widest among wearable robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 5 verified deployments. Funding runway warrants monitoring: last known round 46 months ago.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 3, 2026