Nigerian firm unveils bionic arms for amputees

A Nigerian prosthetics company, Immortal Cosmetic Art, has developed a hyper-realistic bionic arm designed to help amputees regain both function and confidence.

One of those eagerly awaiting the innovation is 25-year-old Gift Usen from Akwa Ibom, who was born with only one fully developed hand.

“I grew up to see myself with one and a half hands. Most times, I felt discouraged, but I had to encourage myself because this is how I saw it. I didn’t create myself,” she said.

Nigeria has no official data on prosthetic use, but many amputees struggle with accessibility and affordability.

Immortal Cosmetic Art hopes to change that with its Ubokobong Bionic Arm, a device that uses electromyography signals from the brain to control hand movements.

According to the company’s founder and CEO, John Amanam Sunday, the arm goes beyond aesthetics.

“Bionics are available elsewhere, but what we have here are hyper-real forms—human-like and functional.

“They are not static, they move, and the most beautiful part is that they come in black skin tones,” he said.

The Ubokobong Bionic Arm was inspired by a personal tragedy.

Six years ago, Amanam’s younger brother, Ubokobong, lost his fingers in a firecracker accident.

Unable to find prosthetics that matched his skin tone in Nigeria, Amanam began creating hyper-realistic cosmetic limbs.

Over time, with Ubokobong’s knowledge of electronics and years of research, the prototypes evolved into fully functional bionic arms.

Although the company has not announced an official launch date, it has already received orders from Nigeria, Ghana, the United States, Britain, and Australia.

Amanam said he hoped for government and NGO support to make the technology affordable to everyday Nigerians.

For Usen, the innovation represented a new beginning.

“When it launches, it will be my greatest happiness ever. Finally, I’ll have two hands,” she said.