A Kochi-based prosthetics startup is drawing attention for its work on a lower-cost bionic hand designed to make advanced upper-limb prosthetic technology more accessible in India.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, Bendita Bionics, founded by engineering graduates Rover C Joseph and Ashik Ansary M, has developed a lightweight multi-articulated bionic arm called Angel Hand. The company is based in Kaloor, Kochi, and was founded in 2021.
The Angel Hand weighs around 400 grams, making it one of the lighter devices in its category. It is designed for everyday use and can perform multiple grip patterns, helping users hold, grasp and manipulate objects more naturally.
The device uses sensors to detect muscle movements and convert them into commands, allowing the artificial hand to respond to signals from the user. This places Angel Hand within the wider category of myoelectric and sensor-driven upper-limb prosthetic systems, a field that is growing globally but remains financially out of reach for many users in India.
The affordability issue is central to Bendita Bionics’ story. Commercially available robotic arms can cost around Rs 7 lakh, according to the founders. Angel Hand has a reported starting price of Rs 2.85 lakh, which could make this level of technology more accessible to a larger group of users.
For India’s prosthetics and orthotics sector, this is significant. While lower-cost body-powered and passive upper-limb prostheses remain important, there is increasing interest in more functional prosthetic hands that support daily living, employment, education and social participation. However, cost, service availability, maintenance, training and long-term support remain major barriers.
The development of Angel Hand also shows the growing role of Indian engineering startups in assistive technology. India has a large need for affordable prosthetic and rehabilitation solutions, but advanced upper-limb devices have often depended on high-cost imported technology. Domestic innovation has the potential to reduce cost, improve service responsiveness and support devices that are better adapted to Indian users and local clinical conditions.
Bendita Bionics’ founders say the prototype work began in 2021 after they were inspired by the challenges faced by people who had lost their arms. The team has since focused on reducing the weight of the device and making it practical for daily use. According to the report, the product has been sold for the past year and has received positive feedback.
The startup has also received recognition beyond the clinic. Bendita Bionics was listed among the top five innovative robotics startups at the International Robotics Round Table Conference 2024, organised by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and the Department of Industries and Commerce.
For prosthetists, rehabilitation professionals and policymakers, the emergence of companies such as Bendita Bionics raises an important question: how can India create stronger pathways between engineering innovation, clinical validation, prosthetic fitting, rehabilitation training and long-term user support?
A bionic hand is not simply a product. Successful outcomes depend on correct user selection, socket fit, control training, occupational therapy input, follow-up, servicing and realistic expectations. As more Indian startups enter the assistive technology space, collaboration with qualified prosthetists and rehabilitation teams will be essential.
Angel Hand represents a promising example of Indian innovation aimed at reducing the cost barrier in upper-limb prosthetics. If supported by strong clinical pathways and reliable after-sales service, such technologies could help expand access to more functional prosthetic solutions for people with limb loss across India.
- Original report in The New Indian Express
- Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation
- Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala
- World Health Organization – Rehabilitation
- International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics