The Nigerian made bionic arm. Photo: Oku Effanga/TIME
A Nigerian-made bionic arm, the Ubokobong Bionic Arm, has been named among TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of 2026.
The prosthetic, developed by Immortal Cosmetic Art, was listed under the accessibility category in the list published on October 15, 2026.
TIME reported that the arm is myoelectric, meaning muscle signals control it. The magazine said it is now being used by clients in 56 countries.
According to TIME, the story began on New Year’s Day 2019, when Ubokobong Amanam lost his fingers in a fireworks accident in Nigeria. The magazine said he then found it difficult to get a prosthetic that suited his dark skin tone.
TIME said his brother, John, who works as a special-effects artist, made a hyperrealistic hand for him. The magazine added that the two brothers later set up Immortal Cosmetic Art to produce lifelike prosthetics for other Black amputees.
“We try to restore comfort and confidence to the amputee,” Ubokobong told TIME.
The magazine further reported that John, who has a technology and electronics background, then worked on a prosthetic that would be functional as well as realistic. According to TIME, that effort led to the Ubokobong Bionic Arm.
Reuters reported in August 2025 that the firm, based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, had received orders from the United States, Britain, Australia and Ghana before the arm’s official launch.
The report said prosthetics remained inaccessible or unaffordable to many Nigerian amputees. It added that John Amanam, the firm’s chief executive, described the arm as built for Africans by Africans.
Reuters said the arm took about three years of research to build. It added that no date had been announced for its official launch.