THE DEKA ARMMICHAEL HEATH

PROBLEM BEING SOLVED

• Loss of upper limbs in war

• Paralysis

• Gives use to arm, isn’t just a “fake” arm

HISTORY OF PROSTHETIC ARMS

• First prosthetic arms thought to be used 1,000 years ago

• Movable joints with control used in early 1800s

• US government agency for advancing prostheses formed in 1945 after WWII

• Largely unchanged since then

• The standard of care today is a body-powered “hook”

CURRENT STATE

• The DEKA or “Luke” arm- Gen 1, 2, and 3

- 3 types: RC, HC, and SC

- 12 Dimensions of motion and counting

GEN 1 (GENERATION 1)

• Project started at DEKA in 2006

• Simultaneous control of multiple powered degrees of freedom

• Advanced grasp control

• Touch feedback

• Strength, range of motion, and speed to perform daily activities

• Tolerance to outdoor environments

• Advanced control

THE “LUKE” GEN 2

• Refinements made to Gen 1 prototype

• Designed for clinical study platform

• Able to support up to 3 different amputations levels (RC, HC, SC)

• Extensive testing by subjects helped to give feedback to support GEN 3

3 CONFIGURATIONS

• Radial

• Humeral

• Shoulder

THE “LUKE” GEN 3

• 10 degrees of freedom

- 5 brushless and 5 brushed DC motors

• 6 pre-programmed hand grips

• Rechargeable Li-Ion battery

• Multiple user input devices available ( foot sensors)

LIMITATIONS

• Price: cold start at over $100,000 apiece

• Short life span

• No “one size fits all”

• Small market

• Not fully waterproof

FUTURE DIRECTION

• New DEKA arm in testing/developing stages

• Clinical trials performed

• Completely controlled by thought

• Electrodes implanted into brain

• Arm is “trained”

• Jan Scheuermann (right)

REFERENCES

• Deka's Luke Arm In Clinical Trials, Is it the Future of Prosthetics? (Video). (2009, January 1). Retrieved September 27, 2014.

• Doyon, T. (2012, October 1). Bio-Robotics: The DEKA Luke Prosthetic Arm. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

• Griggs, B. (2014, May 1). FDA approves 'Star Wars' bionic arm. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/12/tech/innovation/deka-bionic-arm-kamen/

• Guizzo, E. (2014, January 1). Dean Kamen's "Luke Arm" Prosthesis Receives FDA Approval. Retrieved September 26, 2014.

• Hruska, J. (n.d.). FDA approves the Deka arm, the first commercial mind-controlled prosthetic arm.

• Norton, K. (2007, November 1). A Brief History of Prosthetics. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

• Otto. (2013, February 1). Oandp.com. Retrieved September 26, 2014.

• Resnik. (2013). The DEKA Arm: Its features, functionality, and evolution during the Veterans Affairs Study to optimize the DEKA Arm. Prosthetics and Orthotics International.

• Statistics on hand and arm loss. (2014, February 4). Retrieved September 26, 2014.