Fast Co: DEKA-Arm – mind-controlled prosthetic arm enables precise tasks.
WOW! This is awesome! And it comes from the inventor of Segway!
Fast Co: Segway inventor Dean Kamen and his company DEKA have just secured FDA approval for a mind-controlled prosthetic arm that enables tasks as finely tuned as operating a zipper, opening locks, and wrapping a present.
The DEKA-Arm is the same size and weight as a natural human arm, according to an FDA statement. Affectionately nicknamed “Luke” after Luke Skywalker, the arm detects electrical activity caused by the contraction of muscles close to where the prosthesis is attached. The electrodes send the electrical signals to a computer processor in the prosthesis that translates them to a specific movement or movements. Essentially, the user can think about what he or she wants the prosthetic hands and fingers to do, and it will do them.
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Chez Froggie 