Ukrainian Startup Esper Bionics Announces Esper Hand 2

Esper Bionics, a manufacturer of bionic prosthetics, has announced a new iteration of the Esper Hand — a smart, robotic prosthetic hand. Teasers for Esper Hand 2 have appeared on the company’s website and Instagram account.

The original Esper Hand is a robotic hand made of 288 components, controlled by a set of two to sixteen electromyographic (EMG) sensors. These sensors are attached to the user’s forearm, shoulder, or chest, reading muscle impulses and translating them into commands for the prosthetic. The software processes this data to continually improve control and responsiveness.

In 2022, Esper Hand was featured on the cover of TIME magazine as one of the best inventions of the year. Now, the company is preparing to launch the next iteration of its flagship product.

Details about Esper Hand 2 are still limited. The company states that the new version stands out for its enhanced power and improved water resistance. A short video teaser shows the robotic hand holding a 16 kg weight with a single finger under heavy rain. Esper Bionics also claims that Esper Hand 2 will be even smarter than its predecessor.

No release date has been announced yet. However, users can sign up on the website to join the early access list.

About the company

Esper Bionics was founded in 2019 by Dmytro Hazda, Anna Belevantseva, Ihor Ilchenko, and Borys Lobanov. In June 2024, the startup raised a new funding round of $5 million.

In total, Esper Bionics has secured around $7 million in investments. Until 2024, the company’s largest investor was the Ukrainian venture fund SMRK. Esper Bionics has also received grants from the Vernadsky Challenge, the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF), Google, and the Alchemist Accelerator in the U.S.

The startup’s main market is the United States, where the prosthetic hands are sold through insurance companies. Each prosthesis costs $22,000, a price typically covered by health insurance for American patients.