Scottish engineer who designs prosthetic hands makes Forbes 30 under 30 list

A Scot who came up with the idea for his start-up after breaking both his wrists in a skateboarding accident has made it onto a prestigious list of upcoming entrepreneurs.

Fergal Mackie, 28, is a design engineer and the founder of Edinburgh-based Metacarpal, which develops fully mechanical prosthetic hands.

He has now been named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe Science and Healthcare 2026 list, which highlights notable people in various industries who are under 30 years of age.

"I couldn't imagine being named on the list when I started the company six years ago and it was never something on my radar," he said.

Mackie first became interested in prosthetics while studying product design engineering at Strathclyde University.

The summer before his final year, he was set to spend his summer teaching windsurfing in Greece.

But before he left, he fell while skateboarding, broke both his wrists and cut a tendon in his thumb, meaning he had to rethink his summer plans.

While going through several surgeries, Mackie was faced with the frustration of not being able to carry out basic tasks - so he had to discover new ways to complete his daily chores.

"I clearly found the ordeal and the intricacies of the hand very interesting," he said, adding that his thumb now uses his index tendon.

"Strathclyde University has a world-leading prosthetics department and a good research base, so I immediately got involved there."

He started to research upper-limb prosthetics and spoke to amputees and people with limb differences about their experiences of different prosthetics.

"The biggest shock for me was the fact that nearly half of people who use hand or upper-limb prosthetics reject them," Mackie told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast.

"Over the last 30 years, the industry has focused on robotic hands but it has not had the impact that it would have hoped for on the rejection rates.

"There is still a massive need that is unfulfilled."

Comfort issues, weight concerns, poor fit and limited functionality are reasons why amputees often stop using their devices.

Mackie said the most popular device for amputees and those with limb differences is still a hook, which was invented in 1912 - the same year the Titanic sank.

Robotic hands, he said, were struggling to replace hooks.

Noticing a gap in the market, the engineering graduate set up Metacarpal in 2020 with the vision to create a hand prosthetic controlled and powered by body motion, without the need for electronics.

He took on two jobs to help fund the start up, working day and night while working on the prototype.

"While robotics work for a large group of people, it was not working for the other group so we looked at what makes the hook so attractive and combined those together," he said.

"Our device takes the abilities of the robotic hand but it is mechanically operated so it is more practical, reliable and endurable."

Mackie designed the first prototype from his student bedroom in Glasgow using a 3D printer.

He said within three months, he and his co-founder - who stepped back after a year - had their first prototype on a Glasgow-based amputee.

"It wasn't very durable but it did begin to shape what the hand needed to functionally do to be useful," Mackie said.

The prototype helped secure Metacarpal funding and earlier this year, the company, which now employs 12 people, launched their flagship prosthetic.

Metacarpal's GEM is a mechanical bionic hand and functions without batteries, motors or sensors.

The hand prosthetic uses reactive body technology and operates through a cable system connected to a harness, activated by shoulder, arm or elbow movement.

It allows for individual finger motion and a range of grips and wrists positions so users can do everyday tasks, such as cooking and cleaning.

Almost 40 people have received the prosthetic since its launch and Mackie said it has given the company "massive validation".

On the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe Science and Healthcare 2026 list, Mackie joins software developers, AI scientists and founders of medical programmes.

But he only found out he had been successful when it was published.

He said: "I think it's a combination of having something out there that is helping people and building a company that is raising money and employing people in Scotland that helped me get on the list."

And Mackie is no stranger to recognition having won a national Young Innovator Award in 2023 and been named in the Sunday Times Young Power List 2024.

Metacarpal is now selling in the UK, US and Canada.

In the future Mackie hopes to work on increasing access to prosthetics in conflict zones where they are often most needed.