MoreGrasp · Project

Brain-Controlled Hand Prostheses That Restore Gripping for Spinal Cord Injury Patients

healthTestedTRL 5

Imagine losing the use of both hands after a spinal cord injury — you can't grip a cup, open a door, or feed yourself. MoreGrasp built a system where electrical stimulation makes paralyzed hand muscles move again, and the user controls it with their brain signals picked up through a wireless headset. Think of it like a smart glove that reads your intention to grab something and then activates the right muscles to actually do it. The team ran long-term studies with real patients to prove the technology works in daily life.

By the numbers

More than half

of spinal cord injury patients suffer from impairments of both hands

consortium partners

countries in consortium (AT, DE, ES, UK)

SMEs in the consortium

33%

industry ratio in the consortium

versions of the registration and matchmaking platform delivered

The business problem

What needed solving

More than half of people with spinal cord injuries lose the use of both hands, devastating their independence and quality of life. Current electrical stimulation systems for hand function are crude — they lack intelligence, have no sensory feedback, and require awkward manual controls that many patients cannot operate. There is a clear market gap for an intuitive, brain-controlled system that restores natural gripping ability.

The solution

What was built

The project built a multi-adaptive neuroprosthesis controlled by brain-computer interfaces using gel-less wireless EEG electrodes, combined with functional electrical stimulation arrays and sensors for restoring hand grasp. They also delivered two versions of a web-based registration and matchmaking platform for user screening and community engagement.

Audience

Who needs this

Assistive technology device manufacturers seeking brain-controlled product linesRehabilitation clinics specializing in spinal cord injury recoveryMedical electrode and biosensor companies looking for new wearable applicationsHealth insurance companies evaluating functional restoration technologiesOccupational therapy equipment distributors

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Assistive Technology & Rehabilitation Devices

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of assistive devices and rehabilitation equipment

If you are a rehabilitation device company struggling to offer intuitive hand-function solutions for spinal cord injury patients — this project developed a brain-controlled neuroprosthesis with wireless electrodes and sensor arrays that restores bilateral grasp. The system was tested in long-term end user studies across a 6-partner consortium spanning 4 countries. This gives you a validated technology platform to integrate into your product line for upper-limb restoration.

Medical Electrode & Wearable Sensor Manufacturing

SME

Target: Companies producing EEG electrodes, biosensors, or wearable medical devices

If you are a sensor manufacturer looking for next-generation medical wearable applications — MoreGrasp created gel-less EEG electrodes with wireless amplifiers for brain-computer interfaces. These components were designed for daily use by patients, not just lab settings. Licensing this electrode technology could open a new product category in consumer-grade brain-signal recording for medical applications.

Clinical Rehabilitation & Therapy Centers

any

Target: Spinal cord injury rehabilitation clinics and therapy centers

If you run a rehabilitation center treating spinal cord injury patients with impaired hand function — more than half of SCI patients suffer from impairments of both hands. MoreGrasp developed a scalable, modular neuroprosthesis with personalized EEG recording and a web-based screening platform. This could transform your therapy offerings from passive exercises to active functional restoration with brain-controlled stimulation.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project data does not include licensing terms or pricing information. As an RIA project coordinated by TU Graz, IP arrangements would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium partners. SciTransfer can facilitate that introduction.

Can this scale to industrial production?

The system was designed with scalability in mind — using modular, user-specific components and defined interoperability standards for integration into the assistive technology field. However, the project focused on research validation with end users, not mass manufacturing. Moving to production scale would require a manufacturing partner.

What is the IP and licensing situation?

MoreGrasp was funded as a Research and Innovation Action with 6 partners across 4 countries. IP is likely shared among consortium members including 3 SMEs. Specific patent filings are not listed in the available data, but the gel-less electrode technology and multimodal software architecture may carry protectable IP.

Has this been tested with real patients?

Yes. The project explicitly planned long-term end user studies to demonstrate reliability, usefulness, and impact on quality of life. A web-based service infrastructure was built for screening users and evaluating training patterns. The consortium included rehabilitation centers alongside universities and industry.

How does this integrate with existing rehabilitation equipment?

MoreGrasp defined interoperability standards specifically to integrate neuroprostheses into the broader assistive technology ecosystem. The modular software architecture was designed for compatibility. However, specific integration protocols with existing commercial systems would need technical evaluation.

What regulatory approvals exist?

Based on available project data, no specific regulatory approvals (CE marking, FDA) are mentioned. As a research project, clinical validation was the focus rather than regulatory clearance. Any commercial deployment would require medical device certification.

Is there ongoing support or development?

The project closed in May 2018. Ongoing development status would depend on the individual consortium partners, particularly TU Graz as coordinator. The web-based matchmaking platform (delivered in two versions) suggests infrastructure for continued community engagement.

Consortium

Who built it

The MoreGrasp consortium brings together 6 partners from 4 countries (Austria, Germany, Spain, UK), with a balanced mix of 3 universities, 2 industry players, and 1 research organization. The 33% industry ratio and 3 SMEs signal genuine commercial interest beyond pure academia. TU Graz coordinated from the academic side, while the presence of rehabilitation centers ensured real clinical grounding. For a business looking to engage, the SME partners may be the fastest route to technology licensing or co-development, while the university partners hold deep technical expertise in brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetics.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET GRAZCoordinator · AT
BIT & BRAIN TECHNOLOGIES SLparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITATSKLINIKUM HEIDELBERGparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
KNOW CENTER RESEARCH GMBHparticipant · AT

How to reach the team

TU Graz, Austria — contact through SciTransfer for warm introduction to the research team

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET GRAZ profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the MoreGrasp neuroprosthesis technology or its brain-computer interface components? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right consortium partner for your specific application.

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