Aadeel Akhtar

Aadeel Akhtar has developed algorithms that make upper-limb prosthetics much more functional to use. Some send electrical currents to stimulate the nerves so that users can “feel” what their prosthetics are touching; others record the electrical currents caused by muscle contractions, making it possible to control movement. Akhtar has been doing this work for over 10 years, first as a doctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-­Champaign and then, starting in 2015, as the founder of the robotic-­limb startup Psyonic.

Akhtar holds four patents on advances in prosthetics that have all gone into Psyonic’s first product, the Ability Hand. The Ability Hand was designed to be controlled by both muscle sensors and Bluetooth (yes, there’s an app!) and provide tactile sensory data to its user, all while withstanding the normal stresses of everyday life (like getting knocked against a table) without cracking. 

Akhtar’s team of 20 designed with affordability in mind, he says, and built a hand inexpensive enough to be covered by Medicare. This means far more people in the US will be able to afford it. Previously, Akhtar explains, the only insurance that covered bionic hands was associated with veterans’ benefits and worker’s compensation claims, which he estimates cover only about 10% of the need in the United States. Participation from Medicare would make bionic hands available to 75% of individuals in the US who need them. “If Medicare covers it, then other insurers usually follow suit,” Akhtar says.