After gaining approval from the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), a new bionic prosthetic arm now needs financial backing before it
goes into production.
One prosthetics company
is now looking for a commercial partner to start mass production of the
"Luke" arm or DEKA Arm System, tech site Engadget reported.
"There's no word on how much the device will cost, but Next Step
Bionics & Prosthetics president Matt Albuquerque says now it will
look for a commercial partner to start mass production," it said.
Created by Segway inventor Dean Kamen, the new arm can understand up to
10 specific movements and allow wearers "near-natural" control, the
report said.
It can help wearers make routine
actions such as handling keys and locks, removing papers from an
envelope, or picking up an egg without breaking it.
The device uses electromyogram (EMG) sensors activated by the wearer,
and an embedded computer translates the signals into movement.
A separate report on Gizmodo.com said the DEKA Arm took eight years to make the shift from the drawing board to approval.
It said the DEKA Arm "can be customized for limb loss at the shoulder,
mid-bicep, or mid-forearm, though it can't be fitted for amputations at
the elbow or wrist."
Gizmodo said 90 percent of test subjects in the FDA test managed to adapt to using the DEKA Arm for tasks that were impossible with traditional arm prosthetics. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
