Prensilia
Prensilia is an Italian mechatronics spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa that designs, manufactures, and commercializes miniaturized robotic hand platforms (Mia Hand and IH2 Azzurra) for upper-limb prosthetics, collaborative-robotics industrial automation, and academic research, alongside engineering consulting and system integration services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersPontedera, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Prensilia does
Prensilia SRL is an Italian mechatronic device company headquartered in Pontedera, Tuscany, founded in 2009 as a spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa's ARTS Lab. The firm develops miniaturized robotic hands and ancillary mechatronic components that integrate actuators, force and position sensors, and control electronics into a compact palm-and-finger form factor, controlled via PID loops running at 1 kHz and exposed through ROS 1 Noetic and ROS 2 software packages with Gazebo simulation support.
The product portfolio is anchored by two platforms. IH2 Azzurra (launched 2011) is a self-contained 5-actuator, 11-DOF open-source research hand marketed to academic and industrial laboratories and deployed at more than 30 research centers worldwide. Mia Hand (developed from 2016) is offered in three variants: Mia Hand Prosthesis, a multi-articulated myoelectric upper-limb prosthesis and Compasso d'Oro 2022 design award winner; Mia Hand Industrial, a 5-in-1 anthropomorphic gripper targeting collaborative robotics applications in food and beverage, medical testing, and ergonomics; and Mia Hand R&D, a research-oriented variant with standardized mechanical interfaces to UR, Franka, KUKA, and Ottobock QDW systems. Prensilia also sells miniaturized tension sensors and provides engineering consulting and system integration services.
The business model combines hardware sales of robotic hand platforms, professional engineering consulting and custom mechatronic design services, and system integration for collaborative robotics. Distribution is primarily direct from the Italian headquarters, supplemented by regional distributors in India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and China and a Preferred System Integrator partnership with Homberger for Doosan Robotics cobots in Europe. The company monetizes alongside its grant-funded research activity, participating in EU Horizon 2020 and PNRR consortia (DeTOP, APRIL, MAGNELIQ, SOUNDFLEX, DEXTER, DANTE, TURBOM, A-PROMISE) whose project budgets sum to roughly EUR 16M but largely pass through to consortium partners rather than represent Prensilia's top-line commercial revenue. The primary served segments are medical and healthcare (upper-limb prosthetics for amputees), industrial robotics and automation (collaborative robotics end-effectors), and research and academia (open robotic hand platforms). ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications support medical device commercialization.
Prensilia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Prensilia
- Legal name
- Prensilia SRL
- Website
- https://prensilia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Prensilia is an Italian mechatronics spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa that designs, manufactures, and commercializes miniaturized robotic hand platforms (Mia Hand and IH2 Azzurra) for upper-limb prosthetics, collaborative-robotics industrial automation, and academic research, alongside engineering consulting and system integration services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Prensilia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Robotic Prosthetics
- NAICS
- Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports & Active Rehabilitation Devices (Adaptive Sports Mobility, Performance Prosthetics) (HLAHAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Prensilia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pontedera
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Prensilia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Robotic Hand Products: Sale of proprietary robotic hands including Mia Hand for prosthetics, industrial, and research applications, and IH2 Azzurra for research platforms
- Consulting Services: Custom engineering consulting services covering concept definition, feasibility studies, technical specifications, design, prototyping, and pre-series production across mechanical, electronic, software, and sensor development
- System Integration Services: Custom robotic solutions and turnkey automation systems for collaborative robotics and Industry 4.0 applications
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Prensilia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Prensilia designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes miniaturized mechatronic robotic hands across three verticals: medical prosthetics (Mia Hand Prosthesis, a multi-articulated myoelectric hand for upper-limb amputees), collaborative industrial robotics (Mia Hand Industrial, an anthropomorphic 5-in-1 gripper for Industry 4.0 automation), and academic/industrial research (IH2 Azzurra and Mia Hand R&D, open-source ROS-compatible hand platforms). The company complements these hardware products with engineering consulting services covering mechanical, electronic, software, and sensor design, as well as system integration for collaborative robotics deployments.
Product overview
Prensilia is a spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (Pisa, Italy) founded in 2009, developing and commercializing mechatronic devices for prosthetics, industrial robotics, and research. The product portfolio centers on two robotic hand platforms: IH2 Azzurra (launched 2011) and Mia Hand (developed 2016, awarded Compasso d'Oro 2022). Mia Hand serves three distinct market verticals as a single device platform: (1) Mia Hand Prosthesis — a myoelectric upper-limb prosthetic hand for amputees, notable as the first fully externally customizable prosthesis; (2) Mia Hand Industrial — an anthropomorphic gripper for collaborative robotics and Industry 4.0 automation; and (3) Mia Hand R&D — an open research platform with ROS compatibility for academic and industrial laboratories. IH2 Azzurra serves as an open-source research hand with broader DOF. Beyond hardware, Prensilia offers system integration services for collaborative robotics (as Preferred System Integrator for Homberger/Doosan) and engineering consulting. The company also develops miniaturized tension sensors for cable-driven robotic systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mia Hand: Multi-articulated myoelectric prosthetic hand for upper limb amputees. Also available as an industrial gripper and research platform. Features customizable external components and won Compasso d'Oro 2022 design award.
- IH2 Azzurra
Products and services
- Mia Hand Prosthesis A multi-articulated myoelectric prosthetic hand for upper-limb amputees and the first externally fully customizable prosthetic hand on the market, allowing users to configure glove, fingers, fingertips, and cover components to reflect personal style while delivering clinical-grade grasping performance.
- Mia Hand Industrial An anthropomorphic 5-in-1 multi-grip gripper for collaborative robotics and Industry 4.0 applications, offering up to 70 N gripping force across all grips with embedded current, position, and force sensors for closed-loop control, targeting food & beverage, hospitality, interface testing, maintenance, inspection, and humanoid robotics.
- Mia Hand R&D A self-contained robotic hand research platform with all functional components (actuators, force sensors, control electronics) integrated in the palm and fingers, supporting 3 actuators, 3–4 DOF, 0.4 s closing time, 44–140 N grip force, ROS 1 Noetic and ROS 2 compatibility with Gazebo simulation, five configurable grips, and UART-over-USB communication.
- IH2 Azzurra A dexterous, self-contained open-source robotic hand research platform with all functional components integrated in the palm and under-actuated fingers, featuring 5 actuators, 11 DOF, 35 N/7 N grip force (cylindrical/lateral), Bluetooth and UART communication, and 10 configurable grips; deployed in over 30 research centres worldwide.
Quantifiable outcome
- Gripping force higher than many other devices on the market
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Prensilia
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Prensilia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature5 records
Prensilia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Scuola Superiore Sant'AnnacorePrensilia was founded in 2009 as a spin-off of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa, originating from the ARTS Lab (Advanced Robotics and Technology Laboratory). The partnership involves ongoing research collaborations including DeTOP project and other EU-funded research initiatives.
- HOMBERGERmajorPreferred System Integrator partnership since 2022, integrating Doosan collaborative robots for industrial automation applications in food & beverage, medical, and ergonomics sectors.
- DOOSAN ROBOTICSmajorPartner through Homberger integration for collaborative robotics solutions. Doosan robots are integrated with Prensilia's Mia Hand Industrial gripper for flexible automation applications.
- DeTOP ConsortiummajorEU Horizon 2020 project (Grant 687905, ~5.1M EUR) developing osseointegrated prosthetic hand technology. Partners include University of Gothenburg, Integrum AB, Lund University, Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, University of Essex. Mia Hand was developed as part of this project.
- MAGNELIQ ConsortiumminorEU Horizon 2020 project developing magneto-electric liquid materials for sensing applications. Partners include Jožef Stefan Institute, Institute of Physics of Czech Academy of Sciences, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, University of Maribor.
- APRIL ConsortiumminorEU Horizon 2020 project (Grant 870142, ~8M EUR) for multipurpose robotics handling deformable materials in manufacturing. Mia Hand Industrial selected as anthropomorphic gripper.
- DANTE ConsortiumminorProject co-financed by Segretariato Generale della Difesa with Agenzia Industrie Difesa for developing auto-injectors for CBRNE defense. Prensilia contributes mechatronic expertise.
- TURBOM ConsortiumminorPR FESR TOSCANA project for developing integrated neuronavigated TMS system with robotic arm positioning. Partners include EB neuro and PQ Design.
- A-PROMISE ConsortiumminorPOR FESR project for automation of ultrasonic probe manufacturing processes. Led by Esaote with partners including Fabrica Machinale, University of Pisa, University of Florence.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Prensilia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Össur: Major prosthetics manufacturer offering the i-Limb multi-articulated myoelectric hand. Competes with Prensilia in upper-limb prosthetics and shares the orthopaedic centre channel.
- Robotiq: Canadian maker of collaborative robot grippers and force-sensing end-effectors. Competes with Mia Hand Industrial in the cobot end-of-arm tooling market with an established product catalog and global distribution.
- OnRobot: Danish manufacturer of plug-and-play grippers and sensors for collaborative robots. Direct competitor to Mia Hand Industrial in flexible automation and high-mix production scenarios.
- Covvi: UK-based maker of the Nexus Hand, a multi-articulated myoelectric prosthetic. Targets the same upper-limb amputee segment and orthopaedic centres as Prensilia.
- Shadow Robot Company: UK maker of dexterous anthropomorphic robotic hands for research and teleoperation. Direct competitor to IH2 Azzurra and Mia Hand R&D as a research platform in academic labs.
- Ottobock: Global leader in prosthetics with multi-articulated myoelectric hands such as BeBionic and Michelangelo. Direct competitor to Mia Hand Prosthesis in the upper-limb prosthetic market, with substantially larger distribution and reimbursement infrastructure.
- Psyonic: US-based developer of the Ability Hand, a multi-articulated myoelectric prosthetic hand with sensory feedback. Closest direct competitor to Mia Hand Prosthesis in feature set and target customer.
Broad incumbents
- Festo: Global automation and pneumatic giant with a Bionic Learning Network that develops biomimetic grippers (e.g., the MultiChoiceGripper). Competes with Prensilia's industrial gripper line and is an established player in collaborative robotics and Industry 4.0.
- SCHUNK: German family-owned leader in gripping systems and clamping technology for industrial automation. Broad incumbent with a wide range of robotic grippers overlapping with Mia Hand Industrial in cobot and Industry 4.0 applications.
Emerging players
- SynTouch: US developer of tactile sensors and BioTac sensorized fingertips used in robotic and prosthetic hands. Overlaps with Prensilia's sensor-integration and haptic feedback capabilities and partners with similar research institutions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Prensilia social profiles
Digital presencePrensilia compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Prensilia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Prensilia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Prensilia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Prensilia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Prensilia
What does Prensilia do?
Prensilia designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes miniaturized mechatronic robotic hands across three verticals: medical prosthetics (Mia Hand Prosthesis, a multi-articulated myoelectric hand for upper-limb amputees), collaborative industrial robotics (Mia Hand Industrial, an anthropomorphic 5-in-1 gripper for Industry 4.0 automation), and academic/industrial research (IH2 Azzurra and Mia Hand R&D, open-source ROS-compatible hand platforms). The company complements these hardware products with engineering consulting services covering mechanical, electronic, software, and sensor design, as well as system integration for collaborative robotics deployments.
Is Prensilia a public or private company?
Prensilia is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Prensilia founded?
Prensilia was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Prensilia based?
Prensilia is headquartered in Pontedera, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Prensilia make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Robotic Hand Products are the primary driver. The others are consulting Services and system Integration Services.
Who are Prensilia's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Össur, Robotiq, OnRobot, Covvi, Shadow Robot Company, Ottobock and Psyonic. Broad incumbents are Festo and SCHUNK. SynTouch is listed as an emerging player.
Does Prensilia have an API?
No public API is recorded for Prensilia.
What industry is Prensilia in?
Prensilia's product category is Robotic Prosthetics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHAMAJ, Sports & Active Rehabilitation Devices (Adaptive Sports Mobility, Performance Prosthetics). Its NAICS code is 339113 and its SIC code is 3842.