Blue Arbor Technologies Raises $10.5 Million in Series A Financing to Advance RESTORE Neuromuscular Interface System
Blue Arbor Technologies, Inc., a medical technology company developing advanced neuromuscular interfaces and next-generation prosthetic control solutions for people with limb loss, has closed a $10.5 million Series A financing round. The investment was led by Ottobock, the company’s strategic partner and a global leader in prosthetics, neuro-orthotics, and wearable human bionics. The funding is expected to accelerate development of Blue Arbor’s RESTORE™ Neuromuscular Interface System, a technology platform designed to improve how people with limb loss control advanced prosthetic devices.
The financing marks a significant milestone for Blue Arbor as it advances its efforts to bring more intuitive, responsive, and coordinated prosthetic control to people who have lost a limb. The company plans to use the proceeds to complete feasibility studies and pursue a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to support clinical studies of the RESTORE™ External Sensing Unit (ESU). Alongside these activities, Blue Arbor will begin developing the RESTORE™ Internal Sensing Unit (ISU), a fully implantable interface intended to expand the capabilities of its technology platform.
The investment also reinforces the strategic relationship between Blue Arbor and Ottobock, combining Blue Arbor’s work in neuromuscular interface technology with Ottobock’s established expertise in prosthetic devices and wearable bionics.
Series A Financing to Support Next-Generation Prosthetic Technology
The $10.5 million Series A round will provide Blue Arbor with additional resources to advance the RESTORE™ System through feasibility work and toward further clinical evaluation. The company is developing the platform to address challenges associated with controlling sophisticated prosthetic limbs, particularly the ability to coordinate multiple movements in a natural and intuitive manner.
Traditional prosthetic control systems can present limitations when users attempt to operate multiple joints or functions independently and simultaneously. Blue Arbor’s approach is designed to support more coordinated control of the fingers, wrist, and elbow, potentially allowing users to perform a broader range of movements with greater dexterity, speed, and reliability.
The company aims to bring prosthetic control closer to the capabilities of a natural limb by developing a neuromuscular interface that can work with advanced prosthetic devices. Its RESTORE™ platform is being developed in two configurations: an external sensing unit and a fully implantable internal sensing unit.
The current financing is expected to support the development and evaluation of these technologies, with the immediate focus on advancing the external sensing unit and preparing for U.S. clinical studies. Development of the internal sensing unit will proceed in parallel as Blue Arbor works toward a broader platform that can accommodate different interface approaches.
For people living with limb loss, advances in prosthetic control could have important implications for daily activities, independence, and the ability to interact with the surrounding environment. However, the practical value of any new interface will depend on its performance, safety, reliability, and ability to integrate effectively with prosthetic devices. Blue Arbor’s ongoing feasibility studies are intended to contribute to the evaluation of its technology as development progresses.
Ottobock Leads Investment and Strengthens Strategic Collaboration
Ottobock led the Series A financing as Blue Arbor’s strategic partner. The company is internationally recognized for its work in prosthetics, neuro-orthotics, and wearable human bionics, areas that align closely with Blue Arbor’s development of neuromuscular interfaces for prosthetic control.
The investment reflects Ottobock’s interest in supporting technologies that complement its existing business and offer potential for long-term growth. Neuromuscular interfaces are an important area of development in advanced prosthetics because they seek to improve how signals associated with movement are used to control artificial limbs.
Oliver Jakobi, Chief Executive Officer of Ottobock, said the technology developed by Blue Arbor has the potential to establish a new standard in prosthetic control. He explained that the investment is consistent with Ottobock’s strategy of directing capital toward opportunities that complement its core business and offer substantial long-term growth potential.
Jakobi also emphasized the importance of translating pioneering research into scalable solutions that can deliver meaningful value to people with limb loss. Through its collaboration with Blue Arbor, Ottobock aims to support the progression of the RESTORE™ System toward practical applications in prosthetic care.
The partnership brings together two complementary areas of expertise: Blue Arbor’s development of neuromuscular interface technology and Ottobock’s experience in prosthetic systems and wearable bionics. Such collaboration may help support the development of technologies designed to improve the relationship between users and their prosthetic devices.
The Series A investment provides financial support for Blue Arbor’s next development milestones while strengthening the strategic relationship between the companies.
RESTORE System Designed to Improve Prosthetic Control
The RESTORE™ Neuromuscular Interface System is being developed to enable independent and simultaneous control of the fingers, wrist, and elbow. The objective is to support more natural coordination across multiple prosthetic functions, allowing users to manage complex movements through a more intuitive interface.
The system is intended to work with advanced prostheses and potentially improve dexterity, speed, and reliability. These capabilities are particularly relevant when users need to perform tasks involving several coordinated movements, such as grasping objects, manipulating items, or positioning the hand and arm for everyday activities.
Blue Arbor’s platform includes two interface configurations.
The RESTORE™ External Sensing Unit (ESU) is the focus of the company’s current feasibility work. The external sensing approach is being evaluated through human procedures, and Blue Arbor plans to pursue an FDA Investigational Device Exemption to support clinical studies in the United States.
The RESTORE™ Internal Sensing Unit (ISU) is a next-generation interface designed for full implantation. Blue Arbor plans to begin development of this version alongside its ongoing work on the external sensing unit.
Developing both configurations could allow the RESTORE™ platform to address different technical and clinical requirements. However, the two approaches remain at different stages of development, and additional research and evaluation will be needed to establish their safety, performance, and suitability for broader use.
The platform’s overarching goal is to help close the gap between current prosthetic control capabilities and the more coordinated movement associated with a natural limb. The company believes that improving the interface between the human neuromuscular system and prosthetic technology could contribute to more intuitive control for people living with limb loss.
Second Human Implantation Advances Feasibility Studies
Blue Arbor reported continued progress in its feasibility studies, including a successful second-in-human procedure using the RESTORE™ ESU at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria.
The institution is home to a major center for reconstructive and prosthetic surgery and has been involved in evaluating the technology through these early procedures. The second-in-human milestone represents an additional step in the assessment of the RESTORE™ ESU and the company’s broader development program.
According to Blue Arbor, the results of the initial procedures have been encouraging. The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Tod Borton, said two human implantations had been completed successfully and highlighted the importance of the team, the underlying science, and the patients contributing to the work.
Borton also expressed the company’s intention to help more patients through its collaboration with Ottobock. He described the current period as a pivotal moment for Blue Arbor and the wider field of prosthetic control, emphasizing the need to advance the technology toward the capabilities required by people living with limb loss.
Early human procedures can provide important information about how a new medical technology performs in practice. Nevertheless, successful initial implantations do not by themselves establish long-term safety, effectiveness, or suitability for widespread clinical use. Further feasibility work and appropriately designed clinical studies will be needed to assess the system as development continues.
The next stages of Blue Arbor’s work are expected to focus on completing feasibility studies and pursuing the regulatory pathway required to support U.S. clinical evaluation.
Medical University of Vienna Reports Encouraging Early Experience
Prof. Oskar Aszmann, Director of the Center for Bionic Extremity Reconstruction at the Medical University of Vienna, commented on the experience with the RESTORE™ System during the initial procedures.
Aszmann said the team had been impressed by the results of the early surgeries, particularly the speed and naturalness with which patients adapted to the technology.
He also emphasized the responsibility of clinicians to provide solutions that improve patients’ lives. According to Aszmann, the RESTORE™ System has enabled the return of intuitive hand movement for individuals who had not expected to experience it again.
These observations highlight an important objective in prosthetic innovation: developing systems that are not only technically functional but also practical and intuitive for the people who use them. A prosthetic device may offer sophisticated mechanical capabilities, but users also need a reliable and manageable way to control those functions.
The ability to coordinate multiple movements is especially important for advanced prosthetic hands and arms. Interfaces that support more natural control could potentially help users perform a wider range of tasks while reducing the difficulty of operating complex devices.
Although the early experience described by the clinical team is encouraging, further evaluation will be necessary to determine how consistently the RESTORE™ System performs across patients and over longer periods. The planned feasibility and clinical studies will be important in building a more complete understanding of the technology.
University of Michigan Study to Compare Electrode Approaches
Blue Arbor’s RESTORE™ System technology has also been selected to support a clinical study led by the University of Michigan. The study is funded through a UG3 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and will compare the effectiveness of surface electrodes with implanted electrodes for prosthetic control.
The comparison addresses a central question in the development of neuromuscular interfaces: how best to capture and use signals to control a prosthetic device.
Surface electrodes and implanted electrodes represent different approaches to obtaining signals for control. Evaluating them in a clinical study may help researchers better understand their respective performance and how each approach could contribute to prosthetic function.
The University of Michigan-led study adds to the research activity surrounding Blue Arbor’s technology and places the RESTORE™ System within a broader effort to evaluate approaches to advanced prosthetic control.
The study’s findings may contribute evidence about electrode-based control methods and inform future development decisions. However, the announcement does not provide specific study results, participant numbers, or a completion timeline. No conclusions about the comparative effectiveness of the approaches can therefore be drawn at this stage.
The NIH-funded research also underscores the importance of clinical investigation in determining whether emerging technologies can deliver meaningful benefits in real-world use.
FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and TAP Pilot Acceptance
The RESTORE™ System has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and has been accepted into the agency’s Total Product Life Cycle (TPLC) Advisory Program, known as the TAP Pilot.
The Breakthrough Devices Program is intended to support the development and review of certain medical devices that may provide more effective treatment or diagnosis for life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. The designation can facilitate interaction with the FDA during development, although it does not constitute marketing authorization or establish that a device is safe and effective for its intended use.
The TAP Pilot is designed to encourage earlier engagement between the FDA and participating medical device developers. Through this program, companies may receive opportunities to discuss development and regulatory considerations as they work toward bringing innovative technologies through the regulatory process.
For Blue Arbor, these regulatory milestones complement its ongoing feasibility work and plans to pursue an Investigational Device Exemption for U.S. clinical studies of the RESTORE™ ESU.
An IDE can allow an investigational device to be used in a clinical study under specified regulatory conditions. Pursuing this pathway is an important step for companies seeking to evaluate medical devices in U.S. clinical settings, but authorization and study progress depend on the applicable regulatory requirements.
The Breakthrough Device Designation and TAP Pilot acceptance may help support communication with the FDA as Blue Arbor advances its program. They do not mean that the RESTORE™ System has received FDA clearance or approval for routine commercial use.
Funding Supports the Next Phase of Development
The $10.5 million Series A financing provides Blue Arbor with resources to continue evaluating the RESTORE™ System, pursue regulatory steps for U.S. clinical studies, and begin development of the implantable interface configuration.
The company’s immediate priorities include completing feasibility studies of the RESTORE™ ESU and pursuing an IDE to support clinical evaluation in the United States. At the same time, development of the RESTORE™ ISU is expected to expand the platform’s technical options.
The combination of early human experience, external clinical research, regulatory program participation, and strategic backing from Ottobock creates a foundation for the next phase of development. Nevertheless, additional research will be required to establish the system’s clinical performance and determine how it may fit into future prosthetic care.
For people with limb loss, the broader goal is to improve the way advanced prosthetic devices respond to intended movements and support everyday activities. By developing interfaces designed to coordinate multiple prosthetic functions, Blue Arbor is seeking to address a persistent challenge in the field: making artificial limbs more intuitive and responsive.
The company’s progress will depend on the outcomes of further feasibility work, the ability to advance through the relevant regulatory processes, and evidence generated through clinical evaluation.
With Ottobock leading the Series A financing and continuing as its strategic partner, Blue Arbor intends to advance the RESTORE™ Neuromuscular Interface System toward the next stages of development. The investment represents a significant step in the company’s effort to translate neuromuscular interface research into technologies that could improve prosthetic control for people living with limb loss.
About Blue Arbor Technologies
Blue Arbor Technologies is a medical device company devoted to the development of next-generation robotic control systems for people with limb loss so they can intuitively, accurately, and reliably control a prosthetic device with unparalleled degrees of freedom. The RESTORE™ System is a neuromuscular interface system that provides a direct connection between the patient’s peripheral nervous system and their robotic prosthetic limb. Blue Arbor Technologies is a privately held company located in Grass Lake, Michigan.