Mand.ro

The problem

In 2018 a myoelectric hand cost about USD 40,000 and only 0.1% of amputees could afford one, according to the founder (The Jordan Times). Hand and forearm amputees, especially in lower-income countries and conflict zones, end up with cosmetic or body-powered devices.

The solution

Mand.ro builds electronic upper-limb prostheses, from partial hand to shoulder, custom-made with 3D printing. Its building block, the Mark 7D, is a modular robotic finger; five of them form the Mark 7 hand (260 to 320 g, 15 joints), also offered for humanoid robots.

How it works

1. The residual limb is 3D scanned, then the socket and prosthesis are modeled and printed in about a week.
2. Each Mark 7D finger packs a brushless DC motor, a two-stage reducer, sensors and an embedded controller; it works alone or in a set of five for a full hand.
3. One or two EMG sensors read muscle contractions in the residual limb to trigger 5 to 8 grip patterns.
4. A wearable ring or bracelet sensor, shown at VivaTech 2025, lets users fine-tune grip strength.
5. The device charges on a patented magnetic cradle; fitting and training take 1 to 2 hours.

Value proposition

A terminal device listed from USD 1,000 (socket and glove excluded), against myoelectric hands priced from USD 10,000 to over USD 40,000 in the sources reviewed. The company says it makes robotic arm and hand parts at less than a tenth of the cost of existing products.

Technology edge

Mand.ro built a per-finger modular design: the same Mark 7D actuator powers a finger prosthesis, a full hand or a robot hand. Motors and reducers are developed in-house, with KMDF support to produce these parts in Korea. The Mark 7 hand weighs under 500 g according to the Oversonic announcement, and a full below-elbow prosthesis 650 to 800 g according to the company website.

Business model

B2B2C sales of custom prostheses through clinics, distributors and humanitarian programs. Terminal device from USD 1,000, full prosthesis on quotation. B2B sales of hands for humanoids (pricing not disclosed).

Market

According to WHO (WHO standards for prosthetics and orthotics, 2017), only 1 in 10 people who need assistive products, including prostheses and orthoses, have access to them. Mand.ro targets upper-limb amputees in Korea and the Middle East, and now the US and Europe, plus the emerging market for hands on industrial humanoid robots.

Competitors and alternatives

Open Bionics (UK) sells the 3D-printed Hero Arm, launched at GBP 5,000 and available in the US through Hanger Clinic since 2019. PSYONIC (US) markets the Ability Hand, which closes in about 200 milliseconds and provides touch feedback. Esper Bionics (Ukraine) raised USD 5 million in June 2024 and sells its Esper Hand for USD 22,000. Mand.ro sits well below on price and also covers partial hand amputations.

Use cases

• A Syrian refugee with a below-elbow amputation in Jordan received a locally made hand through the KOICA program, which had fitted over 100 people by late 2018.
• A partial hand amputee regains a powered grip with one or more Mark 7D fingers.
• A humanoid maker such as Oversonic mounts the Mark 7 hand on its RoBee robot, headed for STMicroelectronics plants.

Traction and proof points

Humanitarian program in Jordan with KOICA since January 2017: over 100 recipients by late 2018 and about 300 prostheses donated to Jordan's Royal Medical Services. A few thousand active users, mostly in Korea and Jordan (Amplitude, January 2024). CES 2024 Best of Innovation for the Mark 7D. VivaTech 2025. MOU with Italy's Oversonic signed at CES 2026. OTWorld (Leipzig, May 2026).

What remains to be proven

The active user count comes from a single trade outlet in 2024, and no revenue figure is published. Long-term durability of a 3D-printed prosthesis and reimbursement outside Korea, notably in the US, are still unproven. The Oversonic MOU has yet to turn into firm orders.