photo of hand prosthesis

what is metacarpal?


Metacarpal sees elegance in engineering. We make fully body-powered yet bionic, prosthetic hands. That means zero electronics. 

All of the functionality you see is generated by the user, giving the most intuitive and practical operation.

how are we different?

What separates Metacarpal's body-powered hand from those already on the market? Our unique focus on high-performance engineering has lead to a series of innovations that increase the functional capacity of the hand

variable grips

enables the user to switch grips for different operations 

adaptable grasp

5-finger design automatically adjusts grasp around any shape of object

grip lock

ensure a steady grasp by activating our grip lock

Computer generated image of hand

why did we make it this way?

For the last 30 years, the upper-limb prosthetics industry has been entirely focused on making advanced robotic hands. But, despite all of this effort, simple body-powered hooks that have been around since the Titanic sank, remain the most functional products.

We take a new approach, looking at the principle that makes the hooks so inherently functional, and upgrading it with a series of engineering innovations - creating a product with greater function that users can be proud to wear!

how can you get one?


Are you an amputee or a clinician looking to get hold of a Metacarpal hand? Please get in touch. They are still in development and so not yet available, but getting in touch means you can:

- Have an impact on the design
- Get access to early release products for trialling
- Hear when products become available

get in touch.
Computer generated image of hand

connect with us.

featured in.

BBC Breakfast

TV Interview - watch here!

BBC Radio 5Live

Radio Interview

Sky News

TV Interview

The Scotsman

Web Article

Glasgow Live

Web Article

Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Web Article

our supporters and awards.

here are the people who have been helping this project along. 

Made In Scotland 

Young Innovator of the Year 2020

Royal Academy of Engineering

Enterprise Fellowship for founder Fergal Mackie

Scottish YoungEdge

Top Prize YoungEdge award in round 18

Strathclyde Inspire

Part of Strathclyde accelerator program 

Social Shifters 

Runner up in the global innovation challenge

Higgs Centre for Innovation

Incubator contract at UKRI STFC facility

Young Innovators 

Young Innovator Award for founder Fergal Mackie

Converge Challenge

Runner up prize in Create Change Category 2022

RS Components

Part of RS grassroots program

Scottish Institute for Enterprise

Winner of the Fresh Ideas award

get in touch.


If you are a person with limb difference who loves what we are doing, or a clinician who knows patients who would love this, we would be eager to hear from you. 

Or, if you are an investor looking for a new opportunity, an engineer looking for work - whatever - we would love to hear from you!


get in touch.

Body-Driven Prosthetic Hands

Address

Royal Observatory Edinburgh
Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, GB

About us

At Metacarpal we want to make the best prosthesis possible. This means a functional device, that's comfortable to wear all day long, accessible pricing and looks so good that it makes you feel good. We achieve this with better materials, and more advanced engineering than competitors.

© 2024 METACARPAL Ltd