Luke Skywalker-style robot arm for amputees developed by US military

A hi-tech prosthetic arm, fit for Luke Skywalker himself, is to become available by the end of the year. The cutting-edge robotic limb has been designed by US military agency DARPA and inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen. According to its makers, the DEKA – nicknamed the'Luke arm' after the prosthetic used by the Star Wars sci-fi hero – will provide amputees with mechanical strength and dexterity far surpassing anything seen before. According to its makers the'Luke arm' (pictured) will provide amputees with mechanical strength and dexterity far surpassing anything seen before Originally developed with funding through a DARPA project to revolutionise prosthetics, the arm incorporates advanced motors, materials and electronics and can be tweaked to fit users with varying degrees of amputation. DARPA's foray into robotics has been associated with running robots and noisy battlefield droids, but its 2006 project aimed to drastically enhance the state of upper body prosthetic limbs for amputees.