Aura — Open-Source Bionic Hand

A printable, surface-EMG controlled prosthetic hand designed to give amputees a dignified daily-driver for a fraction of the price of a clinical device. Open hardware, open firmware, and a builder community of teen makers.

complexity: hardtolerance: precision

Snapshot

Feasibility at a glance

PT localization

8/10

High

The whole build can be sourced in Portugal.

Per unit

€180–€280 per hand (BOM)

at 50-unit volume

Starter batch

50units

minimum viable run

To first batch

How it's made

5 stations · build route

1
Print the shells
FDM PETG for strength, SLA resin for the knuckles where geometry is tight.
2
Assemble the drivetrain
Thread tendon cables through the knuckles, terminate on the servo horns.
3
Solder the EMG boards
SMT reflow for the analog front-end; the rest is hand-pluggable.
4
Calibrate to the wearer
30-minute session: the firmware learns the user's specific muscle pattern.
5
Hand-tune the grips
Adjust spring tension on each finger so a glass and an egg are both safe.

Print the shells

FDM PETG for strength, SLA resin for the knuckles where geometry is tight.

Assemble the drivetrain

Thread tendon cables through the knuckles, terminate on the servo horns.

Solder the EMG boards

SMT reflow for the analog front-end; the rest is hand-pluggable.

Calibrate to the wearer

30-minute session: the firmware learns the user's specific muscle pattern.

Hand-tune the grips

Adjust spring tension on each finger so a glass and an egg are both safe.

Risks to watch

3 identified · 1 blocking

1 high

2 medium

High

Single-source ICs become unobtainable

Modern designs almost always include one IC with ≥30 week lead times when demand spikes.

Mitigation — Pin the BOM to two qualified part numbers per critical line and place rolling forecast orders.

Medium

Firmware ships before it's stable

Hardware looks done, software is still landing fixes — early customers feel it.

Mitigation — Hold the launch ship-date on a single firmware-stability KPI, not on hardware readiness alone.

Medium

CE / FCC test fail on first attempt

Most first-time radios fail EMC; budget a re-spin.

Mitigation — Pre-scan in a partner anechoic chamber before the official lab visit.

The plan

9 tasks · 30 weeks to first batch

Week 1

2 tasks

foundersmall effort

Lock the pilot scope to one variant

One material set, one feature set, one user persona. Anything else is roadmap, not pilot.

opssmall effort

Shortlist three vendors per critical step

Use GETMILK Match to pull a ranked list across the top three processes — fdm_printing, sla_printing, pcb_fabrication. Send the same RFQ to all three; do not customise per vendor yet.

Weeks 2–3

2 tasks

engineeringmedium effort

Freeze the design for the first 10 units

Move the active CAD set to a tagged release; any change after the freeze gets logged in the change-board.

opsmedium effort

Place first-article orders with two of the three vendors

waits on Vendor shortlist signed off

Order one of each critical part at full spec. Do not buy 100 — buy 1, inspect, learn, then buy 100.

Weeks 4–7

2 tasks

engineeringlarge effort

Run the integration pilot

waits on First articles delivered

Ten complete units assembled in-house. Track yield, defect modes, and cycle time on a shared dashboard.

legalmedium effort

Kick off compliance + certification

Engage a notified body for the relevant standards. Booking a slot now beats discovering a 12-week wait later.

Weeks 8–16

2 tasks

foundermedium effort

Put 25 units in the hands of lighthouse users

waits on Integration pilot complete

These users help refine the product, but they also become your first paid customers. Charge a symbolic price so the data is real.

foundersmall effort

Scale-readiness review with the chosen primary vendor

waits on Lighthouse trial telemetry

Before you tool up for 1000 units, walk the line together and agree on capacity, payment terms, and the failure-mode plan.

Ongoing

1 task

opssmall effort

Stand up a customer support loop

Every defect that reaches a user becomes a ticket, a root cause, a fix, and a regression test on the line.

Who you need

3 roles to fill before month one

EU electronics co-investment broker

Inova+

Knows the EIC funding gates intimately.

EMC test partner

ANACOM-listed test lab

Pre-scan saves you a re-spin on first official test.

Firmware contract studio

INESC TEC firmware group

Backstop for embedded headcount you can't yet hire.

Watch-outs

3 things to avoid in this plan

watch-out

Founder time leaks into vendor management instead of customer development

certification

Compliance booked too late and blocks shipping for 8+ weeks

quality

Demand exceeds the chosen vendor's small-batch capacity right when momentum matters

2 tasks in week 1

Lock the pilot scope to one variant

Open the plan

Shortlist

482 matched · 8 shown, ranked by coverage

Covers, left to right: FDM 3D Printing · SLA 3D Printing · PCB Fabrication · SMT Assembly · Wire Harness · Final Assembly · Testing & Inspection

Manufacturer

Location

Covers

Certifications

People

Exatronic

Aveiro, NUTS2 PT16

ISO 13485, ISO 27001

Keenfinity EMS

Ovar

ISO 13485, EFQM

1100

Uartrónica

Aveiro

ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, IATF 16949, IPC-A-610, RoHS Compliance

—

Sogeclair Aerospace

Occitanie

—

IMOPLASTIC

Marinha Grande TELEFONE

—

Quickmold

—

CEFAMOL

—

IPN

Coimbra

—

Registry coverage

Portuguese producers per required step

Final Assembly

369

Testing & Inspection

178

SMT Assembly

FDM 3D Printing

PCB Fabrication

Wire Harness

SLA 3D Printing

Depth

How many cover more than one step

482cover at least one step

134cover two or more

9cover three or more

0cover all 7 steps

The gap

Picked based on the localization score (8/10) plus the dominant process (fdm printing). For an early build at this batch size, this gives you the best balance of cost, risk, and speed of iteration.

Send one RFQ to the top 4

Exatronic, Keenfinity EMS, Uartrónica, Sogeclair Aerospace — same package, one click.

Request quotes

Aura — Open-Source Bionic Hand

Snapshot

What it does

How it's made

Risks to watch

Production timeline

What goes into it

The plan

Who you need

Watch-outs

Shortlist

Registry coverage

Depth