Tunisian Startup Revolutionizes Prosthetics with AI-Powered Bionic Limbs

A Tunisian medtech startup based in the coastal city of Sousse is transforming the future of prosthetics by developing lightweight, AI-powered bionic arms that combine cutting-edge engineering with affordability.

Founded in early 2020 by engineer Mohamed Dhaouafi, Cure Bionics produces 3D-printed prosthetic limbs controlled by muscle signals through advanced electromyography (EMG) sensors. The company’s mission is to make high-quality prosthetics accessible, particularly for children, at a fraction of the cost of imported alternatives.

Dhaouafi said the idea was born during his studies at the National Engineering School of Sousse, when a student competition led to a life-changing project. A teammate’s relative was born with a congenital limb difference but could not afford a prosthetic until she was 20, and even then, the options were prohibitively expensive or unavailable locally. This inspired the team to design affordable, high-performance bionic limbs and rehabilitation solutions.

Unlike traditional prosthetics, which can cost up to 50,000 US dollars and take months to manufacture, Cure Bionics’ arm prostheses are ready within a week and priced around 8,000 US dollars. Intensive care medicine professor Amine Allah Massadi from the University of Tunis notes that these bionic limbs deliver advanced technical performance at 50% or more below the cost of comparable foreign products.

Inside the company’s lab, engineers scan patient limbs using the Myo Finder device, which reads EMG signals in real time. Users, like Yassine Jarsa, train via the Myo Link mobile app, which simulates bionic hand control in 2D before fitting the actual device.

The company’s flagship prosthetic arm, named Hannibal, offers a suite of features tailored to amputees’ needs. It includes a rotating wrist joint, an adjustable socket, magnetic charging to eliminate battery removal, and tactile feedback for partial sensation restoration. With a simple mode-switch button, users can alternate between assistive and automatic functions, lock movement, and even feel vibrations that simulate touch.