International awards: Mia Hand, the robotic hand developed by Prensilia, a spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, is among the winners of the Compasso d'Oro 2022, the Italian industrial design award
Excellent product functionality and innovative customization orientation. These are the main features that allowed Mia Hand, the multi-articulated upper limb prosthesis developed by Prensilia srl, a spin-off of the BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, to win the Compasso d'Oro 2022, the Italian Industrial Design award organized by ADI (Association for Industrial Design) and now in its XXVII edition. Mia Hand was awarded along with twenty other industrial products that distinguished themselves on key concepts related to current events, with a view to sustainable and responsible development.
"Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, bio-automation, ethics and beaty: The cyborg frontier becomes human"
Mia Hand is the result from a long period of design and research by Prensilia s.r.l. Since 2017, Prensilia has relied on the experience and expertise of Elastico Disegno, a design studio from Turin, for the aesthetic design of Mia Hand. A project aimed at the anthropomorphization of the prosthesis and its extreme possibility of customization. Today, Prensilia's upper limb prosthesis boasts of being the strongest and fastest on the market. Its maximum gripping force is 70N and complete hand closure occurs in 280 ms.
The feature that was highly appreciated by the Compasso d'Oro jury was, in addition to the excellent functionality of the product, the innovative orientation toward customization that has become a real mission of the company. The jury also particularly appreciated, as stated in the judgment, the channeling of cyborg into human: "Neuroscience, artificial intelligence, bio-automation, ethics and beauty: the cyborg frontier becomes human."
The Compasso d'Oro is not the first award given to MiaHand. In 2019, Prensilia's robotic hand was awarded the 2019 Red Dot Design Award and received honorable mention in The Plan Award 2019.
"Our goal," explains Francesco Clemente, Managing Director of Prensilia, "is to develop technology that can be inclusive and adaptable to people's needs. This prestigious award enhances our commitment to creating an upper limb prosthesis that is not only capable of high performance, but also allows people to feel comfortable, thanks to the customizable design in multiple configurations."
