Mind-controlled LUKE prosthetic arm is finally coming to market

Nearly two years after receiving Food and Drug Administration approval, DEKA's innovative prosthesis has a manufacturer and could start changing the lives of amputees in 2016. SEE ALSO: 3D-printed'Spock' hand lets young amputee play basketball again Developed by inventor Dean Kamen (yes, the Segway guy) and DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the LUKE arm offers a level of dexterity and flexibility almost unheard of in prosthesis technology. Instead of power at only one joint or, perhaps a cable-based system, LUKE (named for the robotic hand Luke Skywalker receives at the end of The Empire Strikes Back) features motors at the shoulder, elbow and hand. The result is a full arm or forearm prosthesis that can do things many others cannot. The LUKE Arm, for instance, lets wearers reach overhead, lift relatively heavy objects off the floor and handle delicate and more rugged objects with relative ease.