Overview
- Open Bionics unveiled the Hero RGD at a Call of Duty livestream event in Las Vegas, highlighting a partnership with Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty Endowment that includes custom-designed covers.
- The company describes the device as built with titanium components and Nylon PA12, rated to carry up to 77 lb (34.9 kg), with brushless motors and spring-loaded fingers that close in 0.4 seconds.
- Co-founder Samantha Payne says the electronics and battery are housed in the palm for wireless control and use in wet conditions, with a USMC-standard wrist connector to swap in sports attachments.
- Danielle Green, a Purple Heart recipient who lost her left arm in a 2004 RPG attack in Baghdad, reports easier daily tasks such as stabilizing food while chopping and securely holding cookware.
- Open Bionics says the RGD grew from a multi-year effort incorporating feedback from more than 1,000 amputees, with development costs reported at about £2 million.