The DEKA Arm System (via DEKA)
In an effort to alleviate much of the difficulty experienced by upper-limb amputees, DEKA Research and Development recently created one of the most realistic prosthetic arms ever devised. Dubbed the “Luke Arm” (after Luke Skywalker’s highly-advanced prosthetic), the arm has already been approved by the FDA and DEKA is currently researching the probability of successfully bringing it to market.
The Luke Arm, or the DEKA Arm System, is part of an initiative through DARPA to improve prosthetic technology for amputees. Under DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, DEKA and Johns Hopkins University received a grand total of $100 million for the development of prosthetic technology, $40 million of which went to DEKA.
The DEKA Arm System is battery-powered and DEKA claims it is roughly the same weight as a natural human arm. It can successfully handle small, delicate, large and heavy objects and gives users some of the most authentic freedom of movement of all prosthetics. It features 10 arm movements and six various grip options.
The arm relies on electromyogram electrodes for commands. EMGs pick up information based on the electrical activity that takes place on the skin’s surface, typically through the contraction of muscles. The DEKA Arm System uses these signals to issue commands to the arm, along with switches located on the user’s feet that wirelessly transmit commands to the arm as well.
The arm was primarily designed by Dean Kamen, the same inventor who brought us the Segway, and his hard work shows. The arm is capable of executing all types of functions, including opening letters, handling uncooked eggs and utilizing power tools. Kamen and his team designed the arm with functionality inmind, and the final product mimics real hand movement.
The DEKA Arm System (via DEKA)
The device looks exactly like a human arm, complete with plastic fingernails. The machinery powering the arm is covered by a translucent, grayish plastic. While this design doesn’t exactly make it easy for users to hide the fact that they are wearing a prosthetic, it sure does beat a metal hook.
To test the waters, DEKA launched a clinical trial with a study group of 36 upper arm amputees from the military. In the study, participants were asked to perform a number of tasks, including brushing their hair, using keys, holding small objects, eating and more; 90 percent of whom did so successfully. After eight years of development, the FDA finally approved the prosthetic prototype.
The Luke Arm has come a long way since the first, robot-like prosthetic prototype. Kamen designed the prototype to function as closely to normal human movement as possible to give those with upper arm amputations a portion of their freedom back.
DEKA is currently looking into options for mass production in an effort to bring the technology to market affordably. There is no word on when the prosthetic is expected to hit the market. While we wait, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne has designed a prosthetic of its own, but this guy isn’t for consumer usage (see following blog)..
This Space Arm Catches Debris
EPFL’s robotic arm
The Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory at EPFL just announced its newest robotic invention – a robotic arm that can catch objects mid-air in the blink of an eye. This product isn’t for your average consumer, but it does have important implications for space, where it may be tasked with keeping idle debris away from our planet.
The robotic hand stands 1.5 meters tall. It features three joints and four fingers. When resting, it sits with its palm open and remains completely still, until it spots a falling object. Inspired by human catching abilities, the robot will calculate the trajectory of a nearby falling object and it can catch it in five hundredths of a second, the same time it takes us to blink.
The Swiss Space Center added the robot to its Clean-mE project, an initiative to clean space debris caught in earth’s gravitational pull. Plans include securing the arm to a satellite and seeing if it can successfully catch objects moving at a gingerly pace in space. There are plans for using the arm here on Earth, too.
While far off, there is talk about using the technology to catch falling people (perhaps those who fall off scaffolding) and to prevent automobile accidents from flying road debris in autonomous cars. Perhaps one day it will even be used to catch approaching missiles. Only time will tell.
Whether it’s catching people or asteroids, this space arm is really expanding the concept of what robotic arms can do. If we’re lucky, maybe a home version of EPFL’s arm will hit the market with the sole purpose of swatting flies. We can only hope.
C
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