Alright! Dean Kamen’s prosthetic “Luke” arm is one step closer to helping amputess, especially injured veterans:
Last week, VA announced the start of a three-year clinical trial that represents the first large-scale testing of the arm, a critical step before it can be made widely available. The first patient was fitted with an arm in April.
The device was developed by Deka Research and Development, the New Hampshire company whose founder, Dean Kamen, invented the Segway and various medical devices.
The robotic arm, nicknamed the “Luke arm” after the artificial arm worn by Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films, allows those who have lost a limb up to their shoulder joint to perform movements while reaching over their head, a previously impossible maneuver for people with a prosthetic arm.
via VA Tests New Arm That Could Benefit Amputees – washingtonpost.com.
Check out the video demonstrating the arm in my earlier post.
One has to wonder why it will require 3 years of approval trials, when it only took them 3 years (2005 – 2008) to envision, create, design, build, refine the Luke arm.
Have we got our priories a little confused? Is there not a fast track for this device?
If it were a game console controller (Wii or Xbox) there would be no clinical trials required, how different is the device than a game controller for a specialized game – called Life.
One has to wonder why it will require 3 years of approval trials, when it only took them 3 years (2005 – 2008) to envision, create, design, build, refine the Luke arm.
Have we got our priories a little confused? Is there not a fast track for this device?
If it were a game console controller (Wii or Xbox) there would be no clinical trials required, how different is the device than a game controller for a specialized game – called Life.