Motorica Manifesto Hand - Bionics For Everyone

Motorica’s Manifesto Hand is a multi-articulating bionic hand with some interesting enhancements including contactless payment, a screen, and a GSM module.

What’s On This Page?

A Quick Look at the Manifesto Hand

Unfortunately, we do not yet have any good videos of the Manifesto in action. In lieu of videos, here is how Motorica summarizes the Manifesto on its main product page:

The main value proposition for the Manifesto is that you get a capable bionic hand with the added advantage of a) advanced features and b) personalized styling.

Manifesto Hand Key Features

Grip Patterns & Control System

The Manifesto Hand operates like most modern bionic hands. When the user attempts to move the hand, the muscles in the residual limb contract. These contractions generate electrical signals that are detected by sensors placed in the arm socket that press against the skin. The detected signals are then sent to a control processor that cleans them up and translates them into commands for the bionic hand.

The most common commands are:

open the hand
close the hand
change the grip pattern or gesture

This entire system is referred to as a Myoelectric Control System. The Manifesto can use either single or dual sensors. The latter is preferred but some users only have sufficient musculature or muscular control to support one sensor channel.

For grip patterns, the Manifesto uses one small motor to control each digit. This means that the fingers and thumb can each open/close independently of the other. The patterns in which the digits do this are referred to as either grip patterns or gestures.

For example, one useful grip pattern might be to press the forefinger and the thumb together to pick up a small object. This is called a pinch grip.

The ability to stick your thumb up in approval is an example of a gesture.

The Manifesto Hand is capable of forming up to 14 grip patterns and 100 different gestures.

Thumb Rotation

We have not yet been able to confirm if the Manifesto’s thumb uses active or passive thumb rotation. We have submitted this question to Motorica and will update this section as soon as we receive a reply.

Proportional Speed Control

The Manifesto offers proportional speed control based on the strength of the user’s muscle signal, which is how most bionic hands address this issue. It can open in less than two seconds.

Sensory Feedback

The Manifesto does not provide any sensory feedback.

Wrist Design

The Manifesto offers passive, 320-degree wrist rotation.

Size & Weight

The Manifesto Hand comes in three sizes with the following dimensions and weights:

Medium — 460 grams, 71 x 192 x 137 mm
Large — 470 grams, 80 x 210 x 141 mm
Extra Large — 482 grams, 89 x 228 x 146 mm

Lift Capacity & Grip Strength

The lift capacity for all three sizes of the Manifesto is 15 kg. The grip strength is roughly 20 Newtons.

Durability

To build a Manifesto Hand, Motorica uses modern technologies for industrial 3D printing and a combination of plastic and metals. Their motors and electronics are of their own design with an emphasis on durability.

That having been said, we rely mostly on feedback from our User Satisfaction Survey as our main measure of durability. Because the Manifesto is new to us (and therefore to our audience), it may be a year or two before we have sufficient feedback to publish this information.

Water and Dust Resistance

The Manifesto has an IP54 rating, meaning that it is protected from a limited amount of dust and other particles but it is not dustproof. It is also protected against water splashing from any angle but it cannot be submerged in water.

Glove Options

The Manifesto does not require or use gloves. From an appearance standpoint, it is entirely customizable according to the wishes of the user, not just in terms of colors but also patterns and the overall design. This type of personalized appearance is increasingly popular among the users of all prostheses.

Batteries

The Manifesto Hand offers two battery options, one with a 1200 mAh capacity, which is enough for 24 hours of prosthesis operation, and another with a 3500 mAh, which provides 48 hours of operation time.

Both battery options should be sufficient to operate the Manifesto for at least a full day depending on the level and nature of the activities. Most users recharge the battery at night. A full recharge requires five hours depending on the size of the battery. The battery can be charged using a wall socket, USB-C cable, or a >3A power bank.

User Software

Motorica’s Start mobile app allows users to set gestures, switch to manual control, send telemetry data, and record EMG muscle activity when setting up the Manifesto’s grip options and gestures.

Suitability for Above-the-Elbow Solutions

We do not yet know if the Manifesto Hand is suitable for above-the-elbow solutions. We have submitted this question to Motorica and will update this section as soon as we receive a reply.

Price

Based on our information, we estimate that the Manifesto will fall into our $10,000 to $20,000 US price category if sold through the clinical distribution system in the U.S. Note, however, that the Manifesto is not currently available in the U.S. We price everything for the U.S. market only so that hands from different parts of the world can be loosely compared.

For a complete list of prices for other bionic hands, please see our Bionic Hand Price List.

Availability

The Manifesto is currently available in India, France, the UAE and other Gulf countries that can access installation in the UAE, Malaysia, and South Africa and other African countries that can access installation in South Africa.

Warranty

The Manifesto Hand offers a one-year standard warranty against defects in materials or workmanship under normal use.

The mechanical wrists, controllers, and EMG sensors are covered for two years.

Note, however, that the warranty does not apply to cosmetic and forming shells, residual limb sleeves, chargers, or batteries.

Also, there do not appear to be any options to extend the warranty.

Additional Features

This is a new section that we’re now adding to all bionic hand and ETD device articles because manufacturers are beginning to offer innovative hi-tech features that we’ve never seen before.

For the Manifesto Hand, this includes the following:

the ability of the fingertips to interact with touchscreen interfaces;
near-field communication (NFC) technology, which means that you can access the Motorica Start app simply by touching your mobile device to the Manifesto Hand;
Bluetooth connectivity between the Manifesto and the Start app;
you can integrate contactless payment features into the hand to make purchases easier;
you can incorporate a small screen into the forearm socket shell or, alternatively, a smartwatch or smartphone.

Some of these may seem like novel gadgets but they are, in fact, a whole new horizon of capabilities that will increasingly allow bionic limbs to exceed the capabilities of natural limbs.

User Feedback Survey & Results

Survey

Are you currently using the Manifesto Hand or have you used it in the past?

If so, why not help others by sharing your experiences in this quick survey:

Results

We do not yet have a sufficient number of survey participants to publish fair and accurate results for the Manifesto Hand.

As soon as we do, we’ll update this section.

Considerations Before Buying the Manifesto Hand

As is increasingly the case with bionic limb companies in Eastern Europe and Asia, we’re seeing an explosion of technologies and creative ideas that are simply too compelling to ignore.

This is certainly true of the Manifesto Hand. Its relatively low price, advanced cyber capabilities, and customizable appearance are all features that appeal to modern bionic hand users.

Normally, we’d be cautioning you here about doing business with a startup, but Motorica appears to have moved beyond its start-up phase, as it has:

been in business since 2014;
produced more than 2,400 prostheses since 2016;
has a team of 86 engineers, coders, customer care, and medical professionals;
operates in 12 countries.

That having been said, we will of course be reserving our final judgment until we hear back from end-users through our User Satisfaction Survey.

For a list of competitor devices, see current options for bionic hands.

For a comprehensive description of all current upper-limb technologies, devices, and research, see our complete guide.

Click here for more information on Motorica.