The DEKA Arm System is indicated for individuals aged 18 and older. It is capable of handling objects as delicate as grapes and eggs and also manipulating power tools, such as a hand drill.
Read: From Idea to Market in Eight Years, DARPA-Funded DEKA Arm System Earns FDA Approval
Shaped similarly and weighed to match a natural limb, the battery-powered arm has six user-selectable grips. Sensors in the hand of the DEKA Arm System can provide feedback on grip strength.
Courtesy of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the Modular Prosthetic Limb includes sockets, which offer increased range of motion, dexterity and control options.
35 volunteer amputees participated in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funded optimizations study to provide feedback for the development of DARPA’s arm systems.
The Revolutionizing Prosthetics program is ongoing and aims to continue increasing functionality of the DARPA arm systems so service members with arm loss may one day have the option of choosing to return to duty.
Watch the video below to observe the prosthetic arm’s grip:
