A new Fast Company feature has highlighted an important shift in healthcare technology: the future will not be defined only by advanced engineering, but by whether people are comfortable, confident and willing to use the devices in everyday life.
The article, based on a Fast Company World Changing Ideas Conversation at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, explored prosthetic limbs, wearable robotic devices and digital health tools. The central message was clear: healthcare technology should feel like a personalised upgrade, not a visible reminder of limitation.
For India’s prosthetics and orthotics community, this idea is highly relevant. Prosthetic limbs are among the most personal devices a person can use. They are not simply tools; they connect directly with the body, movement, independence and identity.
Jeremy Brown, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, described prostheses as an intimate interface because they are intended to replace a biological counterpart and become part of how a person functions. Fast Company reported that future prosthetic limbs are likely to become more personalised, with 3D printing supporting lifelike design and AI-driven systems helping devices learn from user data. (Fast Company)
This matters for India because the country is facing two parallel challenges. On one side, there is a huge need for affordable prosthetic, orthotic and assistive technology services. On the other, there is growing interest in advanced solutions such as bionic hands, 3D-printed sockets, smart orthoses, powered exoskeletons and digital rehabilitation tools.
The gap between these two realities can only be closed if technology is designed around users, not just around technical performance. A prosthetic limb may have advanced features, but if it is too heavy, uncomfortable, expensive, difficult to repair or socially unacceptable, the user may abandon it.
The Fast Company discussion also looked at wearable powered devices such as the MO/GO pants developed by Skip and Arc’teryx. The device is designed to assist walking and hiking, providing power when moving uphill and support when going downhill. Although positioned more as a mobility-enhancing product than a traditional medical device, it shows how wearable robotics may influence the future of mobility support, ageing, outdoor activity and rehabilitation.
Anna Roumiantseva, chief product officer and co-founder of Skip, said wearable technology needs to become lighter, smaller and more desirable. Her point that assistive products should feel like “an upgrade, not an intervention” is especially important for prosthetics and orthotics in India, where cultural acceptance, daily usability and long-term maintenance often determine whether a device succeeds.
For Indian clinicians, this raises an important question: how can prosthetic and orthotic services move beyond basic device delivery and towards long-term user satisfaction?
The answer will require stronger links between clinical assessment, socket comfort, component choice, gait training, repair services, digital design, local manufacturing and user feedback. India has the technical talent and manufacturing base to develop better assistive technology, but these products must be built for Indian users, Indian climates, Indian activity levels and Indian service realities.
AI and 3D printing may play a growing role in this future. AI could help improve prosthetic control, personalise rehabilitation or analyse gait and movement data. 3D printing could support faster prototyping, customised sockets, lightweight structures and decentralised fabrication. However, these tools should support clinicians and users rather than replace the need for skilled prosthetists, orthotists and rehabilitation teams.
For Bharat CPO readers, the main lesson from the Fast Company feature is that the future of assistive technology must be both advanced and human. The next generation of prosthetics, orthotics and wearable robotics will need to be functional, affordable, repairable, attractive and comfortable enough to be used every day.
India’s opportunity is not simply to import advanced technology. It is to build an assistive technology ecosystem that combines innovation with access, clinical skill and user-centred design.
- Fast Company: From lifelike hands to gamified nudges, how technology is reshaping the future of healthcare
- Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering
- Johns Hopkins Haptics and Medical Robotics Laboratory
- Skip official website
- Arc’teryx MO/GO powered pants
- PSYONIC Ability Hand
- WHO: Assistive technology
- WHO: Rehabilitation
- International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics