Archives April 2026

Thomas Cook India & SOTC Travel Highlight Asia as the Go-To for Spontaneous Summer Getaways

Apr 29: With summer already underway, Indian travellers are making the most of the season with spontaneous, experience-led getaways across East and Southeast Asia. Insights from Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel highlight a strong “Look East” trend, with travellers favouring destinations that offer ease of access, shorter travel durations and a rich mix of cultural, culinary and leisure experiences. From vibrant cities to island escapes, these destinations are emerging as the perfect playground for last-minute summer travel.

Japan Japan in summer is a sensory experience, where centuries-old traditions meet high-energy celebrations. Travellers can witness vibrant matsuri festivals with taiko drumming, parades and spectacular fireworks displays, while also exploring Tokyo’s immersive digital art museums and quirky themed cafés. In Kyoto, early morning heritage walks through temple districts and bamboo groves offer a quieter, cultural contrast. Food lovers can go beyond sushi—sampling regional ramen trails or joining izakaya hopping tours in Osaka. For a more offbeat experience, travellers can stay in a traditional ryokan, participate in a tea ceremony or take a scenic rail journey through the Japanese Alps, making every moment deeply immersive and uniquely local.

South Korea South Korea offers a compelling blend of pop culture, tradition and cutting-edge experiences that resonate strongly with Indian travellers. In Seoul, visitors can explore royal palaces like Gyeongbokgung in traditional hanbok, shop in vibrant districts such as Myeongdong and Gangnam, or dive into the city’s buzzing café and K-beauty culture. Food enthusiasts can indulge in Korean barbecue, street food markets and interactive cooking experiences. Beyond the capital, Busan’s coastal charm offers beachside relaxation and seafood markets, while Jeju Island provides scenic landscapes with waterfalls, lava tubes and hiking trails. From K-pop and K-dramas to heritage villages and wellness retreats, South Korea delivers a dynamic and trend-forward summer escape.

Indonesia Bali offers far more than just beaches, positioning itself as a holistic escape blending culture, wellness and adventure. Travellers can start their day with sunrise yoga overlooking rice terraces in Ubud, followed by a visit to Tirta Empul for a traditional water purification ritual. Evenings come alive with the dramatic Kecak fire dance at Uluwatu Temple set against a cliffside sunset. Adventure seekers can trek up Mount Batur at dawn or explore hidden waterfalls in the island’s interior. Bali’s café culture, beach clubs and artisanal markets add a contemporary edge, while the Bali Arts Festival provides an authentic window into the island’s rich cultural heritage.

Thailand Thailand continues to deliver high-energy, multi-layered travel experiences that cater to every kind of traveller. In Bangkok, visitors can explore bustling floating markets by day and rooftop bars by night, while also indulging in guided street food tours through Chinatown. The islands offer a different pace—whether it’s kayaking through limestone caves in Krabi, snorkelling in the Phi Phi Islands or enjoying a private long-tail boat excursion at sunset. Wellness seekers can indulge in traditional Thai spa therapies, while culture enthusiasts can visit ornate temples or even take a Thai cooking class. Thailand’s versatility and vibrant atmosphere make it a perennial summer favourite.

Vietnam Vietnam offers a dynamic mix of landscapes and experiences that feel both immersive and refreshingly different. Travellers can spend a night cruising through Ha Long Bay, waking up to sunrise over limestone karsts, or wander through Hoi An’s lantern-lit streets, stopping for riverside dining and local craft shopping. For a more relaxed island escape, Phu Quoc offers pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters and a slower pace of travel. Visitors can snorkel among vibrant coral reefs, take the world’s longest over-sea cable car to Hon Thom Island, or explore the lively night markets known for fresh seafood and local delicacies. In Sapa, guided treks through terraced rice fields offer interactions with local communities, adding depth to the journey. Urban explorers can dive into Hanoi’s Old Quarter on a vintage Vespa food tour or discover hidden cafés serving Vietnam’s famous egg coffee. With its balance of culture, cuisine, island escapes and natural beauty, Vietnam is quickly becoming a must-visit destination.

Singapore Singapore stands out as a destination that effortlessly combines efficiency with high-impact experiences. Travellers can begin with a sunrise walk at Gardens by the Bay before exploring the city’s diverse neighbourhoods—from Chinatown’s heritage streets to Kampong Glam’s trendy cafés. Thrill-seekers can head to Sentosa for ziplining or indoor skydiving, while families can enjoy Universal Studios and the Night Safari. Food lovers can embark on a hawker trail, sampling everything from chilli crab to Michelin-recognised street food. Evening experiences like river cruises or skyline light shows add to Singapore’s appeal as a compact yet experience-rich getaway.

Malaysia Malaysia offers a well-balanced itinerary with a mix of urban energy, cultural exploration and natural beauty. Kuala Lumpur’s skyline and shopping districts provide a lively start, while nearby Batu Caves offer a striking cultural landmark. In Langkawi, travellers can take the cable car up to the Sky Bridge for panoramic island views or enjoy mangrove kayaking through geoparks. Penang adds a creative and culinary layer, with street art trails, heritage walks and hands-on cooking classes. This diversity allows travellers to seamlessly combine multiple experiences within a single trip, making Malaysia both practical and rewarding.

Mauritius Mauritius goes beyond the typical beach holiday, offering a rich blend of relaxation and exploration. Travellers can sail on a catamaran along the coast, snorkel in coral reefs or take a helicopter ride to witness the island’s famous “underwater waterfall” illusion. Inland, lush national parks and waterfalls provide opportunities for hiking and nature trails, while cultural experiences—from sega dance performances to local rum tastings—offer insight into the island’s heritage. Whether it’s a scenic road trip or a luxury beachfront stay, Mauritius delivers a well-rounded, indulgent escape.

Maldives The Maldives offers an unparalleled sense of escape, where the focus is on slowing down and reconnecting. Beyond relaxing in overwater villas, travellers can snorkel alongside vibrant marine life, enjoy guided night fishing excursions or indulge in underwater dining experiences. Wellness is a key highlight, with spa therapies set against ocean views and sunrise yoga sessions on private decks. Unique experiences such as sandbank picnics, dolphin cruises and personalised butler-led stays elevate the destination beyond a typical beach holiday, making it ideal for those seeking exclusivity and tranquillity.

Philippines The Philippines is emerging as an offbeat yet highly rewarding destination, especially for travellers drawn to untouched natural beauty. Island-hopping in Palawan reveals hidden lagoons, limestone cliffs and crystal-clear waters, while Boracay offers a more vibrant beach scene with water sports and nightlife. Adventure seekers can go kayaking through secret caves, snorkel in coral gardens or take cliff-jumping excursions. Its relatively less crowded appeal compared to other Southeast Asian destinations makes the Philippines perfect for those looking to explore something new and less conventional this summer.

Australia Australia offers a diverse mix of experiences, from cosmopolitan cities to dramatic coastal landscapes. Travellers can explore Sydney’s iconic harbour, take coastal walks like Bondi to Coogee or enjoy wildlife encounters at conservation parks. A road trip along the Great Ocean Road provides stunning ocean views and access to natural landmarks like the Twelve Apostles. Food and wine enthusiasts can explore regions such as Yarra Valley, while adventure seekers can try surfing or diving along the Great Barrier Reef. Australia’s vastness makes it ideal for travellers looking to curate a varied and immersive itinerary.

New Zealand New Zealand is a paradise for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts alike. Travellers can cruise through the breathtaking fjords of Milford Sound, take scenic drives through rolling landscapes or explore glowworm caves for a unique natural spectacle. Queenstown, known as the adventure capital, offers everything from bungee jumping and jet boating to more relaxed vineyard tours. For a slower pace, visitors can enjoy lakeside stays, scenic ट्रेन journeys and immersive Māori cultural experiences. The country’s pristine beauty and wide range of activities make it a truly unforgettable destination.

Hyderabad, Apr 29: HSBC Mutual Fund has announced the launch of RedHex SIF, it’s dedicated Specialized Investment Fund (SIF) brand in India. The launch marks a significant step in expanding its investment offerings aimed at meeting the evolving needs of investors, seeking more focused and outcome-oriented strategies within a familiar and regulated investment framework.

RedHex SIF by HSBC Mutual Fund, a SEBI approved investment structure, is designed for investors who want greater portfolio flexibility than traditional mutual funds while continuing to benefit from the transparency, governance, and ease associated with the mutual fund structure. RedHex SIF aims to help investors access specialised opportunities through differentiated strategies, while maintaining robust oversight and risk discipline.

Commenting on the launch, Kailash Kulkarni, CEO, HSBC Mutual Fund said, “RedHex SIF is our innovation-led platform for investors seeking differentiated, outcome-oriented strategies, anchored in the trusted mutual fund framework. As markets evolve, we believe alpha will increasingly come from adaptability, risk awareness and differentiated thinking across shifting cycles. We are expanding our product suite in a considered manner, giving investors greater choice, confidence, and access to thoughtfully constructed solutions that meet these evolving market expectations and long-term investment goals.”

Features of RedHex SIF:

1. ₹10 lakh Minimum Investment Threshold: Suitable for experienced, institutional, and HNI investors
2. Focused investment strategies: Built around clearly defined themes and ideas for precise portfolio construction
3. Transparency and Flexibility: A familiar mutual fund structure combined with strategic flexibility of advanced investment solutions
4. Risk-Aware approach: Strong emphasis on risk management and portfolio stability.
5. Built for Evolving needs: More focused, outcome-oriented approach

The terminal-native browser verification tool ships today with native support for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, and Gemini CLI, and it’s free to start

San Francisco, CA – April 28, 2026 — TestMu AI (formerly LambdaTest), the world’s first full-stack Agentic Quality Engineering platform, today announced the launch of Kane CLI, a new browser automation tool that runs directly from the terminal. Kane CLI is the first tool designed simultaneously for human developers and AI coding agents, closing the gap between code generation and verified browser execution.

AI coding agents have transformed how software gets written, as AI agents are shipping code faster than any QA team can click through flows manually. Features ship from prompts. Bugs get fixed in seconds. But the development loop has never fully closed: no agent can open a browser and verify that what it built actually works. That step still falls to a human. Kane CLI is built to close this loop.

Teams build features, spot bugs, ship code, and run agents. Kane CLI is the verification layer for all of it. Developers and QA engineers describe the flow and get pass or fail with a full step trace and screenshot before the PR goes up. Designers and PMs verify fixes and broken flows without filing a ticket or waiting for a developer, then drop the shareable evidence link straight into Slack or Jira. And when AI agents like Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, and Gemini CLI build a feature; Kane CLI is the missing tool that tells them whether it actually works in the local Chrome browser.

Key Capabilities of Kane CLI include:

• Intent-based browser control: Operates purely on intent, requiring no selectors or underlying code.
• Resilient runs: Kane CLI does not return halfway. It adapts and pushes through, up to 50 steps per flow, until the full journey is verified. Other tools break on the first change. Kane CLI finishes the run.
• Playwright export: Converts plain English test flows into native Playwright test code with one command.
• Automated bug discovery: Actively monitors and surfaces unexpected behaviors while the test flow is running.

• Vision-based dynamic waiting: Detects loaders and animations on screen before acting. Not network-based. Handles canvas, Shadow DOM, and element frameworks that cannot be resolved.
• Ask the tool for OTPs and CAPTCHAs: When an automated flow hits an OTP screen or a CAPTCHA, it does not fail silently. Kane CLI pauses, asks the human to handle that one step, and then continues the run. For AI agents, this is human-in-the-loop without stopping the entire workflow.
• Two-way script migration: Convert existing Playwright or Selenium scripts to Kane CLI. Convert Kane CLI tests back to Playwright. No rewrite from scratch.
• Inbuilt Test Manager sync: Every test case created locally is also saved remotely. Shareable proof attached automatically.
• CI/CD ready: Runs headlessly in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and Bitbucket Pipelines. Standard exit codes plug into pipeline control flow without any custom scripting.
• Contextual authoring: Give Kane CLI context about your app, and it authors parallel test cases across multiple browser sessions from a single prompt.

Three Ways to Run

Kane CLI ships with three modes so humans and agents can consume it the same way from the same terminal.

• Interactive TUI – No arguments needed. A full terminal UI opens for exploring, iterating, and chaining tests across a live browser session.
• Headless CLI – Add –headless for scriptable, display-free runs. Built for shell scripts and CI pipelines.
• Agent Mode – Add –agent –headless. Outputs structured NDJSON that Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI read natively to decide what to do next.

Asad Khan, CEO & Co-Founder, TestMu AI, said, “For years, the bottleneck in software was writing the code. Vibe coding removed that. Teams are shipping more software, faster, than at any point in the history of our industry. But it exposed a new bottleneck most teams haven’t named yet: trust. Every feature that ships from a prompt is a feature nobody has actually verified. At agentic speed, ‘a human will click through it later’ is not a plan — it’s a liability, compounding at the speed of AI. it’s a growing pile of unverified work. That’s why we built Kane CLI. One terminal command, a real browser, pass or fail. Software has always trusted the people who wrote it. Now, for the first time, it has to trust the machines. Kane CLI is how trust scales in the agentic era.”

As part of its launch, TestMu AI is offering bonus credits for the first three months to teams that activate a paid plan during the introductory period. The offer is designed to give engineering and quality teams full access to Kane CLI’s cloud capabilities.

Kane CLI is available today, free to start. Install via npm or brew, log in, and run your first flow.

Installation command for Kane CLI via npm – npm install -g @testmuai/kane-cli

Installation command for Kane CLI via Homebrew – brew install LambdaTest/kane/kane-cli

Or building with an AI agent? Point it to testmuai.com/kane-cli/agents.md

SAN DIEGO & NEW YORK, April 29, 2026 – Kyriba, the global leader in liquidity performance and treasury management, and Circle (NYSE:CRCL), one of the world’s leading financial platform companies and the issuer of USDC through its regulated entities, today announced a collaboration to bring digital dollar capabilities into the treasury systems many enterprises already use — helping treasury teams begin putting stablecoins to work within familiar tools, controls, and workflows..

By embedding USDC within Kyriba’s platform and pairing it with its Trusted Agentic AI (TAI), the collaboration will enable treasury teams to manage intercompany liquidity more efficiently, access 24/7 liquidity, and make more informed, policy-driven liquidity decisions. It operates within existing workflows and controls, without requiring new systems or costly infrastructure changes.

At the core of the collaboration is Kyriba’s TAI, purpose-built for enterprise treasury operations. TAI continuously monitors USDC positions and liquidity conditions in real time, identifies when action is required, and supports treasury teams with intelligent decisioning and policy-based, agentic orchestration within predefined policies and approval frameworks.

From payment initiation through settlement and audit logging, the collaboration helps enterprises bring stablecoin capabilities into established treasury operations. Every action remains fully traceable, with transactions routed through existing approval structures and no customer data stored externally or used for model training.

Solving real treasury friction

These capabilities are especially relevant for treasury activity, including intercompany flows where settlement cutoffs, delays, and cash-in-transit can slow close processes and tie up working capital. With USDC embedded in Kyriba and powered by TAI, treasury teams can now:

• Settle eligible cross-border and intercompany payments in near real-time, eliminating multi-day settlement delays, reducing FX exposure, and shrinking cash-in-transit..

• Access liquidity 24/7, including outside traditional banking hours.

• Manage stablecoin balances alongside traditional cash positions within a familiar treasury environment, supporting multi-entity treasury operations without changing existing workflows.

• Choose to automate liquidity decisions and facilitate execution through AI-driven monitoring and policy-based workflows.

• Execute with full governance, with every transaction subject to the same controls, payment policies, and audit standards as traditional payments.

Enterprise demand for this infrastructure is accelerating. USDC in circulation reached $75.3 billion at year-end 2025, up 72% year-on-year, with quarterly on-chain transaction volume hitting $11.9 trillion—a 247% increase in a single year. At the same time, greater regulatory clarity and growing enterprise familiarity with stablecoins are helping organizations move from exploration toward practical implementation, positioning programmable money at the center of enterprise treasury strategy. By integrating USDC directly into Kyriba’s platform, used by over 4,000 customers worldwide, including many Fortune 100 enterprises—the collaboration extends stablecoin-powered capabilities into mainstream treasury environments and across a broad ecosystem of banking partners.

Greater regulatory clarity and growing enterprise familiarity with stablecoins are helping organizations move from exploration toward practical implementation, positioning programmable money at the center of enterprise treasury strategy.

Melissa Di Donato, Chair and Chief Executive Officer at Kyriba, said: “Treasury teams have been waiting for a way to access the speed and efficiency of digital currencies without compromising the governance and control their organizations require. By embedding USDC into Kyriba’s TAI agentic orchestration layer, we’ve eliminated that trade-off. This is agentic finance operating at enterprise standards – and we are thrilled to make it available today.”

Nikhil Chandhok, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Circle, said: “Enterprises increasingly see the value of digital dollars, but many have lacked a practical way to use them within existing treasury operations. Our collaboration with Kyriba helps remove that barrier by bringing USDC into the systems treasury teams already trust and making intercompany and global money movement faster, more efficient, and easier to operationalize within familiar controls and workflows.”

ADAM to serve coffee and beverages at NYC tech store focusing on future trends, technology, culture, and entertainment 

Las Vegas, April 29, 2026 — Richtech Robotics Inc. (Nasdaq: RR) (“Richtech Robotics” or “the Company”), a Nevada-based provider of AI-driven service robots, announces the installation of its ADAM service robot at tm:rw, a tech store in Times Square, New York. ADAM is situated at the front of tm:rw, serving coffee and beverages to visitors and passersby. The first coffee from ADAM was served to tm:rw brand ambassador, NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal on April 9, 2026.

“Our collaboration with tm:rw is emblematic of our approach to our business. tm:rw is focused on what’s next in tech, entertainment, and culture, and we believe ADAM is paving the way for innovation in service robotics. This is an exciting collaboration for Richtech Robotics, and we look forward to continued opportunities to demonstrate ADAM and our other offerings to consumer brands,” said Richtech Robotics’ CEO Wayne Huang.

Richtech Robotics’ robots aim to enhance business operations by working alongside employees in both the Commercial and Industrial sectors. The Company’s technology is designed to directly address key challenges within the hospitality and service sectors, such as labor scarcity, escalating overhead, and the need for reliable, round-the-clock automation.

ADAM is Richtech Robotics’ flagship robot accelerated by NVIDIA Jetson Thor. It is a dual-armed beverage service robot that can interact with customers, provide drink recommendations, and adapt to changes in its environment.

• Optimize operations and risk management across upstream, midstream, and downstream environments
• Deploy AI-driven threat detection and response for OT and IT systems
• Enable predictive insights and automated decision-making in high-value assets

• Maintain full data sovereignty while deploying AI across ministries and public services
• Enable secure, auditable automation for citizen services, risk, and compliance
• Ensure transparency and accountability with built-in governance and explainability

• Strengthen cybersecurity posture with autonomous detection and response
• Automate compliance, fraud detection, and risk management workflows
• Deploy AI aligned with regulatory requirements and data residency mandates

Advanced AI Without the Complexity

The joint platform removes the traditional barriers to AI adoption by delivering:

• Fine-Tuning as a Service (SFT + LoRA) to create domain-specific models using enterprise data
• Deep Reasoning Systems for complex, multi-step decision-making across operations
• Training and Inferencing Services fully deployed within Qatar’s sovereign environment
• Built-in Governance, Auditability, and Human-in-the-Loop Controls

All capabilities are delivered as part of a fully managed sovereign platform, eliminating the need for expensive AI talent, fragmented tooling, or external dependencies.

A Marketplace of Ready-to-Deploy Intelligence

In addition to core AI capabilities, the platform introduces a marketplace of pre-built, enterprise-grade agentic applications, enabling immediate value across:

• Cybersecurity (Agentic SOC, Threat Intelligence, Exposure Management, and Identity Governance)
• IT Operations (AIOps, Service Management, Observability, and Autonomous Remediation)
• Business Functions (Risk, Compliance, and Process Orchestration)

These applications are production-ready from day one, while remaining fully customizable—allowing organizations to rapidly deploy and evolve AI aligned to their operational needs.

“This is not just infrastructure, it is a sovereign intelligence layer powering the nation’s most critical operations,” said Ehab Al‑Saqqa, CEO of Wisdom Technology. “Our customers gain immediate access to advanced AI capabilities, ready‑to‑use applications, and the ability to scale intelligence securely and seamlessly, without added complexity.”

He added: “Our partnership with Airrived marks a transformative milestone for the Middle East and Qatar. Together, we are introducing a new era of AI innovation that will redefine how governments and enterprises build, deploy, and scale intelligent systems. This collaboration is set to become a true game‑changer for the region’s digital economy and the future of AI.”

From AI Strategy to Execution at National Scale

The Airrived–Wisdom Technology platform enables organizations in Qatar to transition:

• From AI ambition → to production-grade execution
• From talent dependency → to built-in intelligence
• From fragmented tools → to a unified, sovereign AI operating environment

This ensures that AI adoption is not experimental—but operational, governed, and aligned with national priorities.

Advancing Qatar’s Leadership in AI and Digital Infrastructure

Designed for energy, government, financial services, and critical infrastructure sectors, the platform ensures that AI innovation is developed, deployed, and governed within Qatar—supporting long-term national resilience and competitiveness.

By combining sovereign infrastructure with accessible, enterprise-grade AI, Airrived and Wisdom Technology are establishing a new standard for secure, intelligent execution across the region’s most critical industries.

Grant Hewlett brings 15 years of cross-disciplinary experience to Litera’s mission of driving both efficiency and growth for law firms 

CHICAGO and AUSTIN, Texas – Apr. 29, 2026 – Litera, the legal AI platform provider that best unifies the practice and business of law, has appointed Grant Hewlett as VP, Product for Firm Intelligence. He will lead strategic direction and execution of Litera’s firm intelligence products, advancing its end-to-end, AI-driven business of law platform. Hewlett brings more than 15 years of experience spanning Big4 consulting, BigLaw operations, and Alternative Legal Service Provider (ALSP) leadership, giving him a complete view of how legal organizations function.

“Grant’s recent work advising AmLaw 100 and 200 firms gives him a firsthand understanding of what firms are navigating right now,” said Adam Ryan, Chief Product Officer at Litera. “His perspective will be invaluable as we build the next generation of firm intelligence with AI that drives both efficiency and growth on a single platform, embedded in the tools lawyers already use.”

Most recently, he was a founding partner of Gradient Legal Consulting, advising AmLaw 100–200 firms and corporate legal departments on revenue lifecycle optimization, operating model design, and AI integration into legal service delivery. Prior roles span Norton Rose Fulbright, Deloitte Consulting, and Vinson & Elkins, including building the legal business consulting practice at Gravity Stack / Reed Smith.

At Litera, he will focus on enhancing AI offerings, driving product innovation, and developing solutions to deliver measurable value, helping firms accelerate growth and raise the bar on client service.

“The opportunity to help modernize the business of law through Litera’s technology and market presence is special,” said Grant Hewlett. “Firm intelligence is at an inflection point — it’s where data, decisions, and partner economics meet — and there are few platforms with the reach and credibility to define what comes next. I’m honored to help shape the next chapter of firm intelligence on a platform firms use every day.”

EDINBURGH, Scotland, April 29, 2026 — Metacarpal, the Edinburgh-based medical device company and creators of the world’s first multi-articulated body-powered prosthetic hand, celebrates a landmark milestone as Founder and CEO Fergal Mackie earns a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Science and Healthcare list for 2026. The recognition arrives as Metacarpal accelerates its commercial push into the United States and Canada, backed by FDA registration, 40 active users, and a host of investors.

Forbes recognized Fergal Mackie, 28, alongside researchers, doctors, and entrepreneurs improving healthcare and building the hardware of the future. The honor reflects not only the company’s rapid commercial traction since launching sales in September 2025, but also the human story at the heart of Metacarpal’s mission. Before his final year at the University of Strathclyde, Fergal Mackie broke both wrists and was forced to rethink how he completed everyday tasks. That experience gave him something no laboratory could replicate: a firsthand understanding of what upper-limb amputees actually need.

“Being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list is a reminder of why we started this company,” said Fergal Mackie, Founder and CEO of Metacarpal. “The prosthetics industry has spent decades chasing complexity, and millions of people have simply stopped using devices that don’t work for their lives. We built GEM because amputees deserve a hand that works every single time, that they can trust and rely upon.”

With 41,000 Americans living with major upper-limb amputations and 50% of upper-limb prosthetic users abandoning their devices, the North American market represents a largely unserved opportunity. Despite decades of innovations in robotic hands, hooks have remained the most popular devices. Users have been telling the industry that they value reliable performance and durability over complex features.

Metacarpal’s flagship device, the GEM Hand, addresses this gap directly. Powered by the user’s own body motion through patented Reactive Grasp Technology, the GEM Hand delivers multiple grip patterns, immediate proportional pressure feedback, and long-term reliability without electronic components, batteries, or complex control systems. For the first time, prosthetic users have access to advanced abilities without compromising their performance or control. 

David Bowie, Chairman and Non-Executive Director of Metacarpal, brings 35 years of MedTech experience to the company’s leadership. His confidence in Metacarpal’s potential led him from an early advisory role to a formal position as a non-executive director and investor in late 2021.

“In the five years I have known Fergal Mackie, he has continued to grow as a leader, building a team of recognized, credible people with the experience and expertise to compete at the highest level,” said David Bowie, Chairman and Non-Executive Director of Metacarpal. “What he has built at Metacarpal has the potential to change the landscape and functionality of prosthetics and bring this technology to the people who need it most. It is a valuable and exciting journey to be part of.”

Erica Karlson, North American Director of Metacarpal, leads the U.S. rollout of the GEM Hand and brings more than 18 years of device sales experience to the company’s expansion, with nearly 12 years focused specifically on upper-limb prosthetic solutions. Karlson builds clinical and distributor networks, leads prosthetist training, and channels user feedback to drive adoption of GEM across North America.

“I’ve seen firsthand the level of focus, drive, and intention behind what we’re building, and it’s exciting to be part of it,” said Erica Karlson, North American Director of Metacarpal. “What Fergal Mackie and this team have accomplished in Europe is already creating real momentum in the U.S. market, and everything that is ahead for this company is something I am proud to be leading from the North American side.”

Metacarpal has secured $2.7 million from investors, including SIS Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Worth Capital, and Oxford Technology, and operates out of the National Robotarium at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, one of Europe’s leading robotics and AI research facilities. The company’s long-term vision extends beyond North America, with plans to bring its technology to developing countries and conflict zones where access to reliable, affordable prosthetics remains critically limited.

Mackie was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in April 2026, and featured among some of the region’s best professionals dedicated to science and health. A panel of expert judges drawn from venture capital, entrepreneurship, and industry leadership chose the winners based on innovation, impact, and the potential to shape their field. The full Science and Healthcare list is available at forbes.com.