Youbionic’s Vision for a More Bionic Future

Four years ago, Federico Ciccarese founded Youbionic; we’ve caught up with him about the latest updates in their use of technology to augment human capabilities.

Early Youbionic prosthetic hands offered a fascinating glimpse into Ciccarese’s “work for the evolution of [the] human species,” as he describes his vision. Youbionic creates not only prosthetic arms as a replacement of a natural limb, but also as a bionic augmentation to the natural body.

“We believe that technology at our disposal today can be used for the increase in human capabilities and intervention in the replacement of parts of our body which are not working properly,” Ciccarese tells me.

“Youbionic commits to building devices to make us live better and longer, we intend to occupy all of our resources to merge the biological body with mechatronic components.”

The Youbionic team is now comprised of two people and one external collaborator, working toward a new future for humanity.

To catch up more on the latest from Youbionic, I asked Ciccarese for additional details into operations and hopes for a more bionic future.

What inspired you four years ago to found Youbionic?

“I have always dreamed of building a company that could leave a mark, help others and evolve humanity.”

How has Youbionic evolved since you established the original vision for advanced bionic arms?

“The first project was the bionic hand, the work of perfecting the hand lasted years, now we are in the arm phase and soon we will face the development of shoulders and spine.”

How do you see technology enabling human evolution?

“It is inevitable that technology will bring mankind to a more advanced level, to do this can take care of Youbionic or someone else.”

What made 3D printing a good fit for your project?

“3D printing is a fundamental factor of Youbionic, it has allowed us to develop robotics at an affordable cost, but the main point is that it allows us to create structures and surfaces that are extremely complex. We are investing time and resources in the generative and organic design.”

What mechanical parts are involved in the creation of the Youbionic hand?

“In Youbionic devices there are 3D printed components, low cost actuators and microcontrollers.”

How can humanity benefit from what you’ve called the ‘extraordinary capabilities’ of these bionic hands?

“Humanity is thankful when technology runs to its aid, it is thankful when robotic devices take over to replace parts of our body that do not function properly. Youbionic in the future will succeed in replacing organs. In future projects we also find the development of a humanoid controlled remotely and autonomously.”

What excites you most about the potential with Youbionic’s designs?

“I can’t wait to look on the face Youbionic One ;-)”

As Ciccarese and his team continue to look toward this future for humanity, they are likewise looking to the future of Youbionic. The team are currently looking for investors in order to accelerate development “and concretize what we currently have only in the projects.”

Via Youbionic