PSYONIC is a San Diego-based startup developing advanced bionic prosthetic limbs with integrated touch-sensing technology. Founded in 2015 by Dr. Aadeel Akhtar, a neuroengineering PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the company's flagship product is the Ability Hand, a multi-articulated bionic hand with pressure sensors in each fingertip.

The Ability Hand uses six motors housed in a carbon fiber casing with soft silicone fingers that flex on impact rather than breaking. Users control the hand via surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors placed on the residual limb that detect muscle activation patterns. Machine learning algorithms decode these signals into 32 distinct grip configurations. Haptic motors in the fingertips provide vibrotactile feedback to the user, enabling a rudimentary sense of touch and pressure during object manipulation. The hand is water-resistant, USB-C rechargeable, and weighs approximately 500 grams.

PSYONIC targets individuals with upper-limb amputations, with the Ability Hand covered by Medicare in the US at no out-of-pocket cost. The company has also expanded into humanoid robotics, supplying hands to companies including Apptronik and Meta for AI research and manufacturing applications. PSYONIC has raised over $10 million in combined equity and grant funding and is conducting research with the US Navy and UCSD Health on bone and nerve integration for direct neural feedback.