Draft:Esper

  • Comment: The NPOV and promotional tone could be due to LLM usage. Was AI used to assist the building of this draft? Sulfurboy (talk) 18:16, 14 August 2026 (UTC)
Esper Inc
TypePublic
IndustryHealthTech, Wearable devices
Founded2019
FounderDmytro Gazda, Anna Believantseva, Ihor Ilchenko, Borys Lobanov
HeadquartersNew York, U.S.A.
Number of employees
80+
Websitehttps://www.esperbionics.com/

Esper (also referred to as Esper Bionics)[1] is a deep-tech company that develops wearable technologies, most notably AI-powered robotic hand prostheses.[2] The company was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in New York City, United States, with its engineering, design, and production units based in Kyiv, Ukraine.[3][4]

According to the company, its products are designed to help users better interpret the body's physiological signals, support the restoration of physical function, and enable monitoring of a user's condition.[5] As of July 2026, the company's co-founder and chief operating officer reported approximately 800 users of its devices across the United States and Ukraine combined.[6][7]

The company's first product was the Esper Hand, a bionic hand prosthesis controlled through electromyography. The device was included in TIME magazine's 2022 "Best Inventions" list[8][9] and received a Red Dot Award: Best of the Best for design.[10] The company has announced MARS as its next major product — a multisensory wearable system intended, according to the company, to provide more precise recognition of the body's biosignals and personalized control of other connected devices.[11]

History

Esper Bionics was founded in 2019 by Dmytro Gazda, Anna Believantseva, Ihor Ilchenko, and Borys Lobanov.[12] In its early stages, the company received grants from the Vernadsky Challenge[13], the Ukrainian Startup Fund[14], and went through the American accelerator program Alchemist. Until 2024, the company's largest investor was the Ukrainian investment firm SMRK.[15]

In February 2022, the company unveiled its flagship product, the Esper Hand, an EMG-controlled prosthetic arm that the company describes as using self-learning algorithms to adapt to individual users over time.[16][17] The product drew international media attention following its launch.[18]

Esper Hand on the Cover of TIME Magazine

Later in 2022, the Esper Hand was included in TIME magazine's annual "Best Inventions" list and featured on the cover of the corresponding issue. The same year, the product received a Red Dot Award: Best of the Best for design, and it was later recognized as a CES Innovation Award honoree by the Consumer Technology Association (2024 award cycle).[19]

In May 2022, the company launched the Esper for Ukraine program, through which Ukrainian war veterans can receive an Esper Hand prosthesis free of charge, along with support during the fitting and adaptation process.[20] According to the company's website, more than 800 people had received prosthetic care through this program as of the most recent review of the page.[7]

Volodymyr, a Ukrainian serviceman, wearing two Esper Hand prostheses

In May 2024, the company received a $150,000 grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Kyiv.[21] In June 2024, Esper Bionics raised $5 million in a funding round led by the Munich-based venture capital firm YZR Capital, with participation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Chicago-based fund U.Ventures.[22][23] The funds were intended to support expanded production, research and development, and the growth of an integrated "bionic ecosystem" of devices.

Products

Esper Hand

The company's core product is the Esper Hand, a robotic hand prosthesis available for both adult and pediatric users.[24] The device is controlled through non-invasive electromyography: sensors placed within the socket that connects to the residual limb detect electrical muscle activity and relay signals that move the prosthetic fingers. It has an anatomical, human-like design and is built with six independent motors and five movable digits, four of which have touchscreen-compatible fingertips, capable of multiple grip types for everyday tasks.[25] The wrist supports 360-degree rotation.[26]

The prosthesis is made from a combination of materials including polyoxymethylene plastic, fluoroplastics, nylon, aluminum, steel, titanium, bronze, and several types of silicone.[27][28]

An important feature of the Esper Hand is its companion mobile application, Esper+, which connects to the device via Bluetooth. The app allows users and prosthetists to customize and reassign grip patterns, calibrate muscle sensor sensitivity, and train the device to better recognize individual movement patterns over time; it also lets users track battery status and, according to the developer, stay in contact with their prosthetist through a connected cloud service.[29][30]

The product is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[31] In the United States, it is sold through health insurers at a price of around $20,000–22,000 per unit.[32]

Esper Hand 2

Illia “Gandalf” Samoilenko wearing an Esper Hand 2

In May 2025, Esper Bionics unveiled the second generation of its flagship device, the Esper Hand 2, which became available for sale in the United States.[33][34]

According to the company, Esper Hand 2 is designed to be water-resistant, incorporates strengthened aluminum fingers intended to provide a more secure grip, and features larger touch-sensitive surfaces on the fingers for more precise control.[35][36] The device is paired with an updated version of the companion mobile application for customizing grips and monitoring sensor activity.[37]

Ecosystem development

According to founder and CEO Dmytro Gazda, the company's strategic ambitions extend beyond the prosthetics market. Esper has described the Esper Hand as the starting point for a broader ecosystem of wearable technologies intended to help users better understand the body's signals, restore physical function, and monitor their condition.[22]

The company has announced a next product, MARS, described by the company as a multisensory wearable system intended to recognize biosignals with greater precision and enable personalized control of other devices.[11] According to the company, MARS is intended to incorporate multiple sensors along with updated electronics and control algorithms, with the stated goal of reducing the time needed for users to learn the device and expanding the range of controllable gestures.[11] The company has said it plans to launch MARS first in Ukraine before expanding to the United States, and has suggested the underlying technology could extend beyond bionic prosthetics to broader wearable-device applications.[38]

As of the time of writing, MARS had not been independently reviewed or confirmed by sources other than the company's own website; the description above reflects company statements rather than independently verified specifications.

The company has also stated that it develops its own electromyography sensors, marketed under the name MyoUnit, which it says are intended to improve the speed and accuracy of muscle-signal detection.[39]

Recognition and awards

  • 2022 — TIME magazine "Best Inventions" Esper Hand featured on the issue's cover[9]
  • 2022 — Red Dot Award: Best of the Best (industrial design)[10]
  • 2024 — CES Innovation Award honoree, Consumer Technology Association[19]

See also

  1. ^ "Esper". www.esperbionics.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  2. ^ "Esper Bionics announced the new bionic prosthesis Esper Hand 2". dev.ua. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  3. ^ Майя, Ярова (2025-05-21). "Ukrainian Esper Bionics Announces New Version of Its Robotic Arm". Scroll.media. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  4. ^ Daltro, Ana Luiza (2022-06-02). "The Body Is Not a Limit With the Esper Hand Prosthetic Arm". MedicalExpo e-Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  5. ^ "Esper". www.esperbionics.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  6. ^ Believantseva, Anna. "How to scale a healthtech product in the US market: Esper Bionics' lessons learned". vestbee.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  7. ^ a b "Esper". www.esperbionics.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  8. ^ Мельник, Тася (2022-11-11). "Український стартап Esper Bionics на обкладинці журналу Time". Forbes.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  9. ^ a b Ткач, Юлія (2022-11-11). "Продукт української Esper Bionics потрапив на обкладинку Time. Що про це відомо?". Vector (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  10. ^ a b "Red Dot Design Award: Esper Hand". www.red-dot.org. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  11. ^ a b c "Український стартап Esper Bionics розробив нову технологію, завдяки якій протез може керувати дроном". dev.ua. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  12. ^ Майя, Ярова (2025-05-21). "Український стартап Esper Bionics анонсував нову версію своєї роборуки". Scroll.media (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  13. ^ Шкальова, Анастасія (2022-08-22). "Від MVP до ринкового продукту за три роки. Як працює розробник роботизованого протеза Esper Bionics". Vector (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  14. ^ "25 new startup recipients of the Ukraine Support Fund". Google. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  15. ^ "Український стартап Esper Bionics отримав інвестиції від SMRK". DOU (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  16. ^ Sapozhnikov, Viacheslav (2025-05-23). "Esper Bionics Unveils Esper Hand 2: A Waterproof, AI-Powered Prosthetic Ready for Anything · TechUkraine". TechUkraine. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  17. ^ Finney, Alice (2022-02-24). "Esper Bionics creates "human-like" prosthetic arm controlled by the mind". Dezeen. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  18. ^ "This Bionic Hand Actually Improves Function Over Time". Nerdist. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  19. ^ a b "Esper Hand". www.ces.tech. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  20. ^ Laoun, Joy. "Ukrainian-founded startup Esper Bionics raises $5M to scale the bionic ecosystem". vestbee.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  21. ^ "Esper". www.esperbionics.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  22. ^ a b "Ukrainian Prosthetic Producer Raises $5 Million in Investment to Build World's First Bionic Ecosystem". UNITED24 Media. 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  23. ^ Laoun, Joy. "Ukrainian-founded startup Esper Bionics raises $5M to scale the bionic ecosystem". vestbee.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  24. ^ "Esper Hand". www.spsco.com. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  25. ^ Finney, Alice (2022-02-24). "Esper Bionics creates "human-like" prosthetic arm controlled by the mind". Dezeen. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  26. ^ "Esper". www.esperbionics.com. Retrieved 2026-08-14.
  27. ^ "Meet the robotic hand that is controlled with the mind". 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2026-08-14.
  28. ^ "This Bionic Hand Actually Improves Function Over Time". Nerdist. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  29. ^ "Esper+ - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  30. ^ Krasavtsev, Bogdan (2022-05-16). "Esper Bionics launches an era of tech-enabled human evolution". Українські кластери. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  31. ^ "AccessGUDID - DEVICE: Esper Bionics (04820267110016)". accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  32. ^ Press, Associated (2023-12-24). "Bionic Prostheses Empower Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers". Voice of America. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  33. ^ "Esper Bionics announced the new bionic prosthesis Esper Hand 2". dev.ua. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  34. ^ Майя, Ярова (2025-05-21). "Ukrainian Esper Bionics Announces New Version of Its Robotic Arm". Scroll.media. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  35. ^ "Esper Bionics announced the new bionic prosthesis Esper Hand 2". dev.ua. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  36. ^ Майя, Ярова (2025-07-14). "Ukrainian Esper Bionics Releases New Version of Esper Hand 2 Bionic Prosthesis". Scroll.media. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  37. ^ Майя, Ярова (2025-07-14). "Ukrainian Esper Bionics Releases New Version of Esper Hand 2 Bionic Prosthesis". Scroll.media. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  38. ^ "Esper Bionics announced the new bionic prosthesis Esper Hand 2". dev.ua. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  39. ^ "How bionic prostheses are manufactured in Ukraine: a tour of the Esper Bionics production facility". Mezha. Retrieved 2026-08-12.

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