As India’s assistive technology landscape rapidly evolves, innovators are reimagining what rehabilitation can achieve for people living with limb loss. In this edition of Expert’s Corner, we speak with Ruslan Babintsev, CEO of Motorica India, on how advanced, intelligent prosthetic solutions and digital rehabilitation tools are helping patients move beyond basic function towards independence, confidence and fuller participation in everyday life. From expanding access to high-quality prosthetic care beyond metros to building a more connected ecosystem with clinicians and rehab specialists, Babintsev shares how Motorica is working to make next-generation prosthetics more affordable, personalised and future-ready for users across India.
As CEO of Motorica India, could you briefly describe your role and the core mission that drives your work in the medical device and rehabilitation space today?
The future of rehabilitation cannot be limited to helping people adapt to physical loss. It has to focus on helping individuals reclaim independence, confidence and the ability to participate fully in everyday life. At Motorica India, that larger vision is what drives our work every day.
India became one of Motorica’s key regional hubs due to the growing demand for accessible prosthetic care and its strategic importance for South-East Asia. Today, Motorica works with more than 50 partner clinics across India, combining advanced prosthetic technologies, digital solutions and clinical expertise to make high-quality prosthetic care more accessible and personalised.
Within India’s healthcare and assistive technology ecosystem, which specific gap are you most focused on solving with Motorica’s solutions and why is it especially urgent now?
One of the major challenges in India today is access to advanced prosthetic technologies that are both affordable and available beyond major cities. While modern prosthetic solutions exist globally, some patients in India still have limited access to high-quality devices and specialised prosthetic care.
At the same time, patient expectations are changing. People are looking not only for basic functionality, but for prosthetics that help them return to work, education and everyday activities with confidence.
At Motorica India, we focus on making advanced prosthetics more accessible through a wide portfolio of devices across different price segments and the development of digital prosthetics technologies. In the future, we also plan to localise production in India to further improve affordability and access.
Can you share one Motorica initiative or product in India that you feel has created the most meaningful impact for patients, clinicians or the broader health system?
One of Motorica India’s most important initiatives is our Digital Prosthetics programme, which helps make advanced prosthetic care faster, more accessible and more personalised. By using smartphone-based photogrammetry and 3D modelling, we can simplify the fitting process and improve precision for both patients and clinicians.
The scalability of this approach is especially important for India. Digital technologies help expand access to modern prosthetic solutions beyond major cities and support clinics in delivering high-quality prosthetic care more efficiently.
In the last 2 to 3 years, what is one innovation, market move or strategic decision at Motorica India that you believe has significantly changed the trajectory of your growth or impact?
Over the past 2–3 years, one of the key drivers of Motorica India’s growth has been the combination of a strong local presence and a diversified product portfolio tailored to the needs of the Indian market.
We have been able to offer both advanced bionic solutions, such as the Manifesto Hand, featuring a load capacity of up to 15 kg, 360° wrist rotation, and full touchscreen compatibility, and the Indy Hand, which supports loads of up to 10 kg. At the same time, we introduced more affordable solutions such as the Nova Fortix prosthetic hand, specifically designed to meet local market needs. It provides intuitive myoelectric control, a lightweight design, a strong and reliable grip, and a load capacity of up to 12 kg.
Strengthening our direct presence in India while building deeper partnerships with local institutions and clinics has also been an important shift for Motorica India. This helped us evolve from being primarily a prosthetics technology provider into a more integrated prosthetics partner. Our collaborations with organizations such as Mobility India and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities is a good example of this approach. Through hands-on workshops and training programmes, we are helping specialists gain practical experience with advanced prosthetic systems.
From a business standpoint, what do you see as the biggest operational or financial challenge in scaling MedTech and prosthetic care in India and how are you and your team working to overcome it?
Scaling advanced prosthetic care in India requires balancing innovation with accessibility. Motorica aims to address affordability in India by:
- Wide range: we offer the widest portfolio in India, with products across multiple price segments to fit different budgets.
- Lower cost: our devices are significantly more affordable than other alternatives, without compromising on quality.
- Local production (coming soon): to further reduce costs and increase accessibility, we plan to localize production of our most popular and in-demand products in India.
Looking ahead to the next 3-5 years, what one trend in healthcare, medical devices or digital rehabilitation do you think leaders like you cannot afford to ignore?
The next phase of prosthetics will be defined by intelligent and connected assistive technologies. Prosthetics are rapidly evolving from mechanical devices into adaptive systems capable of understanding user intent and enabling more natural interaction between humans and technology.
We already see how advances in sensor technologies and human-machine interfaces are changing the field. A recent example is Omni Hand, the first bionic hand prosthesis in the world market equipped with optical sensors. Unlike traditional systems that rely solely on electromyographic muscle signals, Omni Hand can detect subtle changes in tissue movement and blood flow, allowing the prosthesis to recognize a user’s intended “phantom” gestures and translate them into natural hand movements. The system continuously adapts to the individual user, improving accuracy and responsiveness over time.
At Motorica, we are also actively working on research related to sensory feedback systems for prosthetics, which can help users regain a more natural perception and interaction with the device. Another important area of this research is reducing phantom limb pain, which remains a serious challenge for many amputees worldwide.
We believe that the next generation of prosthetic solutions will combine AI, neural interfaces, robotics and digital rehabilitation technologies to create more adaptive, personalised and comfortable user experiences.
Finally, what is one lesson or piece of advice you would offer to emerging healthcare and MedTech leaders in India who want to build sustainable, impact-driven companies in assistive technology and medical devices?
Healthcare innovation becomes meaningful only when it solves real world challenges at scale. In assistive technology, the focus cannot remain limited to developing advanced products alone. The larger responsibility is to build solutions that are accessible, practical and capable of integrating seamlessly into rehabilitation ecosystems.
For emerging MedTech leaders, ecosystem building is just as important as technological innovation. Strong partnerships with clinicians, rehabilitation experts, academic institutions and healthcare providers create far more sustainable impact than operating in isolation.
Ultimately, the success of assistive technology is measured not by the sophistication of the device, but by how effectively it improves independence, confidence and quality of life for the people using it.
