At 10, Ahmed Ibrahim tried to build a prosthetic hand out of Lego blocks and tiny motors salvaged from a remote-control helicopter to help his best friend, who had lost a hand in a bombing in Syria.
The homemade device failed, but the experience stayed with him. Nearly 15 years later, Ibrahim, now based in Canada, is developing an artificial hand powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and muscle signals. According to a Hamilton Health Sciences profile on the innovator, Ibrahim has received a DRIVE SPARK grant to advance the project, which aims to improve prosthetic control and make advanced artificial limbs more accessible.Ibrahim's journey from a childhood experiment to a medical technology startup reflects how personal experiences can shape innovation.
The 25-year-old had received a DRIVE SPARK funding grant to advance his robotic hand. The hospital's programme supports early-stage healthcare innovations, with grants of up to C$50,000.
A childhood attempt that shaped his career
Growing up in Syria amid escalating violence, Ibrahim had limited resources to pursue his idea. Without internet access, he turned to old National Geographic magazines for inspiration as he attempted to construct a replacement hand for his friend.
He used Lego blocks and tiny motors salvaged from a remote-control toy helicopter he dismantled for parts.The prototype did not work, and his friend continued using a prosthetic hook. But Ibrahim had seen how an injury could affect more than a person's physical abilities. His friend loved football and played as a goalkeeper for their team, but stopped playing after losing his hand. He also became self-conscious about the prosthesis, sometimes hiding it behind his back.Ibrahim later recalled that losing a part of the body can also affect a person's sense of identity. His friend's experience helped shape his interest in developing prosthetics that could offer greater functionality while looking and moving more naturally.Ibrahim moved to Canada with his family as a teenager. While attending Glendale Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario, he started a robotics club and entered prototypes of his prosthetic hand in science fairs.
He subsequently pursued a master's degree in neuroscience and biomedicine at McMaster University, where he connected with organisations supporting entrepreneurs and healthcare innovation.
How the AI-powered hand works
Ibrahim launched Better Bionics around 2023 to develop prosthetic technology combining AI, robotics and 3D printing. The company's work extends beyond a single robotic hand to a broader system for designing and manufacturing customised prosthetic limbs.The hand's prototype uses sensors to interpret signals from a user's muscles and translate them into movements. Tiny motors, sensors and machine-learning systems allow it to perform 20 different movements, giving the fingers and thumb greater independence. The aim is to enable more complex and natural actions than a basic prosthetic device can provide.The technology is designed to adapt to an individual user's movement patterns over time.
Rather than relying only on fixed controls, the system aims to learn how the wearer generates muscle signals and use that information to improve control.Better Bionics is also developing AI models that use scans of a person's residual limb to help generate customised prosthetic designs. Its scan-to-print approach combines AI-guided design, multi-material 3D printing and modular electronics to produce a better-fitting device with less manual fabrication work.
The company says the approach is intended to improve fit consistency, comfort and useful function.
Hospital partnership to test the technology
HHS's support gives Ibrahim access to specialist feedback as he refines the device. About a year before the hospital's October 2026 announcement, he approached Brad Haardeng, clinical manager of the hospital's prosthetics and orthotics department, for advice on his prototype.Haardeng recommended changes to the palm to improve functionality and make the hand appear more lifelike.
Ibrahim has also received input from rehabilitation specialists and other members of the clinical team. The department has helped produce prototype components using its 3D-printing facilities.The next stage is to develop a formal clinical evaluation protocol and submit it to the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board for review. If approved, the proposed study would allow patients to test the device for factors such as comfort and functionality, while the clinical team evaluates its performance.
Better Bionics says it is advancing clinical validation through pilot fitments with HHS and a collaboration with Sunnybrook.
Making advanced prosthetics more accessible
Sophisticated prosthetic hands can be expensive, potentially placing them beyond the reach of people who could benefit from them. Better Bionics says its manufacturing approach is intended to reduce the time and manual effort needed to produce a customised device. The company has set a long-term target of bringing the device price to around one-twelfth of current levels, although this is an ambition rather than a demonstrated market price.Ibrahim hopes that a more realistic, functional prosthesis could help users perform everyday activities independently and feel more comfortable in social settings. HHS prosthetics specialist Haardeng has identified the device's potential functionality, scalability, size and cost as areas that could distinguish it in the market. The hospital also notes that the design could potentially be scaled down for younger users.