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People and companies are using AI hardware and software to make life easier and more accessible for everyone. That\u2019s the case with smartARM, a Toronto-based startup developing a vision-first bionic arm prototype that uses open-source software, with Meta AI glasses as an optional add-on, to explore more intuitive prosthetic control for people living with limb differences.<\/span><\/p>\n Many traditional prosthetic hands require users to switch manually between grip patterns for different objects, making it cumbersome to move everyday items. Something as seemingly natural as picking up a glass, and then a spoon, becomes a multistep process. smartARM addressed this by developing AI hardware and software that understands the environment, and\u00a0 automatically selects a suitable grip for the object \u2013 so users can intuitively move between everyday tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n smartARM\u2019s prosthetic arm \u201csees\u201d through a camera embedded in its palm. The team is using DINOv2, Meta\u2019s open-source vision model, to help it recognize everyday objects from just a few reference photos, supporting smartARM\u2019s grip-selection software.This allows it to grip and pick up objects based on direct visual feature reading, without needing prior understanding or additional programming. The arm can adapt almost instantly to objects trained on just a few photos \u2013 something that could take weeks previously.<\/span><\/p>\n smartARM uses Meta AI Glasses and the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit to extend and improve object recognition and understanding, providing more data from the egocentric point of view the glasses offer. Meta AI glasses\u00a0 give the arm additional context to better understand what the user is trying to interact with. It also lets users add new objects, through the device app on their phones, giving everyone in the smartARM community a way to personalize their prosthetic around their everyday needs.<\/span><\/p>\n For the people who wear it, the results are life altering: a bionic arm that works from the first try, with no training required.<\/span><\/p>\n Long-time smartARM user and former NFL player Shaquem Griffin described what it feels like to use it: \u201cOf all the tech packed into it, scalability and accessibility matter most to me. This is the future of consumer prosthetics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBuilding a capable hand is only part of the challenge. Making it intuitive to use matters just as much,\u201d said Hamayal Choudhry, smartARM\u2019s Founder and CEO. \u201cBy helping the arm recognize everyday objects and select a suitable grip, we\u2019re working toward an experience where people can focus more on what they want to do and less on how to operate their prosthetic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n