This 3D-Printed Bionic Arm Has a Strong Grip, Matches Skin Tones, and Has Paintable Fingernails

This is TrueLimb, a 3D-printed advanced prosthetic limb developed by Unlimited Tomorrow that is meant to be a mirror image of your opposing limb. It’s super lightweight, affordable, and has an incredible gripping ability, hundreds of skin tones to choose from, and it even has paintable fingernails!

Made with TrueSense Technology, this life-like bionic arm has a variation of up to 36 ultra-precise sensors that are embedded in each specialized socket. It offers 360-degree coverage of your residual limb. TrueLimb has impressive intuitive control because each sensor is seamlessly calibrated to each individual’s distinctive muscle sites. TrueLimb’s independent finger joints move collectively with its six adaptive grips, conforming to every object you encounter. So, you can easily hold a credit card, a drill, a golf club, etc.

TrueLimb also offers you a sense of touch, due to its super-accurate vibrations that prompt you when your bionic arm comes into contact with objects. With time and training, you will be seamlessly going about your day and not have to think about this. Essentially, this state-of-the-art prosthetic limb “fuses with your anatomy to form one cohesive unit.”

Using highly advanced 3D printers, TrueLimb is available in hundreds of skin tones, including metallic silver and jet black. Plus, it’s super lightweight, weighing just 1.5 pounds.  TrueLimb is made of robust PA12 nylon that has been thoroughly tested and has proven to handle a lot of abuse. They are also made with Maxon motors, which are said to never fail.

TrueLimb is the brainchild of Unlimited Tomorrow CEO, Easton LaChappelle who at age 14 learned how to code and made a robotic hand controlled by a glove. It was made out of Legos and a fishing line was used for the tendons.  Ultimately, he wanted to make prosthetics intuitive, affordable, and more accessible for children who quickly grow out of their prosthetic limbs.

While TrueLimb is super-tailored and high-tech, 3D printing makes it affordable.  TrueLimb costs $7,995, and the company offers financing options. Plus, if a child outgrows it, Unlimited Tomorrow upcycles the parts and replaces them for about $4,000. Everything is done in-house, which makes it a very unique consolidated supply chain.