When Innovation Isn’t Shiny Enough

We live in a world where most people assume that if something can be improved, it already has been. That if a problem exists, technology has solved it. And that surely, prosthetics—the very symbol of modern innovation—must be at the leading edge of that progress.

But in upper-limb prosthetics, that assumption is dangerously wrong.

Despite the headlines, the sleek videos, and the robotic arms promoted by influencers and research labs, the lived reality for most amputees is very different. Many are still offered technology that has barely changed in over a century—devices originally patented in the early 1900s, still in wide use today.

And while the public sees glossy stories about bionics and AI, the numbers tell a more sobering story: up to 50% of upper-limb prostheses are abandoned. Half of the users would rather use nothing than the device they are fitted with. That’s not a failure of the user. That’s a failure of the system.

At Marins Med, we’re trying to change that.

We're a small company with a patented improvement to the body-powered prosthetic—a solution that was designed by amputees for amputees. It's called the ProHensor, and it's the first significant update in generations to a category of devices that’s too often dismissed as low-tech or obsolete. But here's the thing: body-powered prosthetics aren’t the past. They’re the foundation. They’re durable, intuitive, and often the only option for active users, global applications, and people just beginning their prosthetic journey.

And yet, our biggest challenge isn't in proving our device works—we've done that. It's not in clinical feedback or reimbursement—we're clearing those hurdles. It's in the public's perception. In the belief that the upper-limb prosthetics market is already a solved problem, or that any real innovation must involve robotics and microprocessors. That bias, even when unspoken, creates friction for technologies like ours that are practical instead of flashy, and effective instead of expensive.

We’re not anti-technology. In fact, we believe the ProHensor helps users become better candidates for advanced myoelectric devices down the road. We don’t limit the future—we expand it. We bridge the gap between promise and practicality.

But the truth is: it's hard to get people excited about that kind of innovation. The kind that doesn’t look like a sci-fi movie, but feels like real life getting better.

That’s why we’re speaking up. Because solving prosthetic abandonment doesn’t start in a lab—it starts with listening to users. And we’ve done that. It starts with rethinking what counts as “innovation.” And we’re doing that. It starts by challenging the myth that progress only lives at the highest end of the tech spectrum.

Because real progress? It lives where people need it.

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Suzen DuBre
CEO, Marins Med