U.S. FDA Approved New Bionic Arm

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The U.S Food and Drug Administration announced that it will allow the sale of a prosthetic robotic arm to adults with amputations at the shoulder joint, mid-upper arm, or mid-lower arm. The system, developed by DEKA Research and Development, is controlled by muscles near the attachment site or muscles in the user’s feet.

In comparison to commercially available prosthetics, the new arm offers powered shoulder movements and a wider range of wrist movements, researchers reported last year. If produced for sale, the DEKA system would give military personnel and others who have lost all or part of an arm increased capabilities for daily tasks.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

According to MIT Technology Review the approval follows a study initiated in 2009 by the Veterans Administration that involved 36 subjects, mostly veterans, who had lost one or both arms. That study found that 90 percent of participants were able to perform daily activities that they were not able to perform with other prostheses, according to the FDA. The activities included using keys and locks and preparing and eating food.