The DEKA Arm System is capable of handling objects as delicate as grapes and eggs and also manipulating power tools, such as a hand drill.
DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program delivers on goal of providing advanced prosthetic upper limb with near-natural control mechanisms to amputees
DARPA launched the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program with a radical goal: gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for an advanced electromechanical prosthetic upper limb with near-natural control that enhances independence and improves quality of life for amputees. Today, less than eight years after the effort was launched, that dream is a reality; the FDA approved the DEKA Arm System.
“DARPA is a place where we can bring dreams to life,” said Dr. Geoffrey Ling, M.D., Director of DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office . Dr. Ling is a retired Medical Corps neuro-critical care officer who served in combat hospitals in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He launched the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program in 2006 with a desire to provide better care “to repay some of the debt we owe to our Service members.”
The newly approved system expands prosthetic choices for amputees, who have generally used body-powered prosthetics – in particular the split-hook device invented in 1912. DARPA took up the challenge to advance the field of modular upper-limb prosthetics and committed to making the significant research and development investment required.
The system allows for simultaneous control of multiple joints using a variety of input devices including wireless signals generated by innovative sensors on the user’s feet. The battery-powered arm system is of similar size and weight to a natural limb and has six user-selectable grips. The DEKA Arm System is indicated for individuals 18 and older.
Many technological breakthroughs at the intersection of biology and engineering were necessary to enable the creation of the arm system: for example, miniaturization of parts for motors, computer controls and sensors, and manufacturing processes with lightweight, but strong materials.
A number of federal agencies contributed to the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program. The FDA reviewed information from a Department of Veterans Affairs-funded Optimization Study, which included data from 36 participants. The United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command provided funding assistance to enable completion of tests and trials required to meet FDA requirements. The U.S. Army Research Office provided contract management support.
“Interagency collaboration has been critical to the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program to allow for independent assessments of the technology, incorporation of user feedback into the design, and identification of regulatory strategies and transition paths,” said Dr. Justin Sanchez, the current program manager. “We could not have achieved our goal so quickly without the support of many partners in government.”
The DEKA Arm System was developed by DEKA Integrated Solutions in Manchester, N.H. FDA approval allows DEKA to pursue manufacturing and commercial opportunities to bring the arm to market.
The Latest on: Revolutionizing Prosthetics
via Google News
The Latest on: Revolutionizing Prosthetics
- 6 Amazing Ways IoT is Shaping Trucking for the Long Haulon July 26, 2022 at 5:00 pm
These connected technologies are revolutionizing the industry. Those that don’t capitalize on them in the future could quickly fall behind the competition.
- Instalimb: World’s first 3D designed prosthetic leg provider from Japan forays into Indian market with a funding of Rs 26 Croreon July 26, 2022 at 6:50 am
Japan-based world’s first 3D-printed prosthetic legs maker Instalimb raised 445 million yen (Rs 26 crore) in Series A funding in Japan (including investment, loans, and grants) to foray into the ...
- Instalimb: World's first 3D designed prosthetic leg provider from Japan forays into Indian market with a funding of Rs 26 Croreon July 26, 2022 at 6:32 am
Instalimb promises value proposition to the Indian market by revolutionizing prosthetic socket fit and production process that is widely scalable, does not require much space and does not require ...
- Made by design: Teen’s interest in 3-D printing leads to new prosthetic for Kihei girlon July 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm
“I was really interested in 3-D-printed prosthetics.” Joiner knew that 3-D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) was revolutionizing medicine, especially the field of prosthetic ...
- Human Augmentation Makes List Of 2020 Strategic Techson July 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Part of the funding was for the “Revolutionizing Prosthetics” program. The goal of this program was to “address these challenges by restoring near-natural hand and arm control to people living with ...
- Prosthetic Hand Gives Paralyzed Patient a Sense of Touchon July 17, 2022 at 4:59 pm
The project, part of DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, uses neural technologies developed by DARPA that are wired to the patient’s brain. (Source: Johns Hopkins University) DARPA’s ...
- Medical Moment: A new surgery easing the pain of prosthesison July 8, 2022 at 3:00 pm
(WNDU) - There are as many as two million amputees in the United States. Many of whom are fitted with prosthetic limbs that improve their mobility. But as many as 50 percent of all amputees have a ...
- High-tech medical plastics will help Boston Marathon victimson July 6, 2022 at 5:00 pm
A spin-off company called iWalk is now revolutionizing ankle and foot prosthetics with a battery-powered bionic ankle. It actively adapts to a person's actual gait using Bluetooth technology.
- Inspired Touchon December 28, 2021 at 7:30 pm
Today, the professor of mechanical engineering is a renowned leader in the field of human-robot interaction, particularly in haptic interfaces, cooperative robotics (cobots), remote manipulation, and ...
- Florida Man Becomes First Person to Live With Advanced Mind-Controlled Robotic Armon February 3, 2018 at 10:56 am
The arm was developed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab as part of their program Revolutionizing Prosthetics. The aim of the program, which is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects ...
via Bing News