19-year-old from the UK has the world's most advanced bionic hands controlled by her mind
- This 19-year-old girl has the most advanced bionic arms in the world
- The arms are controlled by her forearm muscles and her mind
- She’s working with Open Bionics for her amazing prosthetic arms
Published on Apr 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM (UTC-4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Apr 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM (UTC-4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Meet Tilly Lockey, a 19-year-old social media personality from the UK who is known for something very cool – having the world’s most advanced bionic hands, which are controlled by her mind.
After contracting meningitis as a baby, Tilly had to undergo a double arm amputation in order to survive, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped her one bit.
Tilly’s mom found a bionic robot company and got her enrolled in a trial for new prosthetic hands, she now has the most advanced prosthetic hands in the world.
Controlled by her mind, her bionic hands allow her to play video games, pick up and move things and hold a microphone when she sings with her band – something she loves to do.
Advanced bionic hands are a girl’s best friend
Tilly Lockey is like every 19-year-old girl, she loves to sing, loves posting fashion videos on social media and play video games, but she has something that not every 19-year-old girl has: advanced bionic hands.
After losing both her hands in a double amputation after surviving meningitis as a baby, instead of letting it stop her, she is never slowing down thanks to her advanced medical device tech.
Tilly’s mom found a bionics company looking for people who were willing to trial it’s new advanced prosthetic hands and signed Tilly up straight away.
Open bionics provided Tilly with the best prosthetic hands you can find anywhere in the world and work by being controlled by her mind.
Her hands are controlled by her mind
Tilly’s brain controls her hands because it sends messages from her brain to her two main forearm muscles which control grip.
Joel Gibbard from Open Bionics deliberately created the hands to be able to change grip strength so that she doesn’t accidentally break things by holding them too tightly.
The arms are 3D printed and lightweight, but because the arms are controlled by her mind, they can be detatched but still move apart from her body.
Open Bionics has given her her freedom back and this shows that innovation in medical device tech is so important, like these toy cars for disabled children.
Tilly posts fashion videos on her instagram account and uses her different arms and their different colors as accessories, you’ve heard of matching your shoes to your bag, sometimes even matching your shoes to your car, but what about matching your arm to your outfit?
Joel Gibbard and the Open Bionics team have really leant Tilly a hand and she is making the most of it.
Daisy is a technology and automotive journalist covering artificial intelligence, consumer tech, Apple news, cryptocurrency, emerging technologies, and transportation innovation. Since joining the team in 2025, she has reported on everything from AI-powered startups and major iOS updates to viral car stories and the latest developments shaping transportation and the digital economy. Drawing on her background in automotive journalism and a degree in History and Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London, Daisy specializes in breaking down complex topics into clear, engaging reporting for a global audience. Her work spans cutting-edge technology, innovative vehicles, and the people driving change across both industries. Daisy has gained first-hand access to some of the world's most talked-about technologies and innovators, including meeting Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot during its first European appearance in London. She has also discussed the future of space exploration with an astronaut, bringing unique insights and real-world perspectives to her coverage of emerging technology.
