What makes the Luke DEKA Arm System so compelling is that it uses electrodes attached to a user's muscles--be they shoulder, arm, leg, or whatever muscles a given patient can use--to control a five-fingered robotic hand that has movement in all five digits as well as the wrist.
Source: DARPA
According to Bloomberg, it can perform six grip patterns and detect up to ten movements from the user's brain. Users can perform a variety of tasks, including using chopsticks, picking up and eating a grape without popping it, and more.
DARPA put $40 million into the project in an effort to do right by military veterans who've lost limbs. "Think about our military personnel, who can be great beneficiaries of these devices: before DARPA made an investment in this area the best we could give back to them was metal hooks," Justin Sanchez, a DARPA program manager in the Biological Technologies office, told Bloomberg.
Source: DEKA
DEKA needs a manufacturing partner to get the Luke into mass production. Someone should really get on that pronto.
Source : http://hothardware.com/News/Segway-Makers-Amazing-Lifelike-Luke-Prosthetic-Arm-Funded-By-DARPA-Gets-FDA-Approval-/
