--- title: Prosthetic Arm Controlled By the Brain Approved by FDA description: The first mind-controlled robotic arm is approved, allowing users to zip up coats, handle eggs and drink from a bottle of water canonical: https://time.com/98265/see-the-bionic-luke-arm-in-action/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-14T16:39:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:52:46.574Z article:section: Health og:title: Prosthetic Arm Controlled By the Brain Approved by FDA og:description: The first mind-controlled robotic arm is approved, allowing users to zip up coats, handle eggs and drink from a bottle of water og:url: https://time.com/98265/see-the-bionic-luke-arm-in-action/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08db13ac9bb11f5b/69868f5713c79fc00319213b/bionic-arm.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2160 og:image:height: 1215 og:image:alt: bionic arm og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Prosthetic Arm Controlled By the Brain Approved by FDA twitter:description: The first mind-controlled robotic arm is approved, allowing users to zip up coats, handle eggs and drink from a bottle of water twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08db13ac9bb11f5b/69868f5713c79fc00319213b/bionic-arm.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See the Bionic "Luke" Arm In Action > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=126bb928-81eb-4201-9b1b-beaff66df0cf&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: FDA Approves First Mind-Powered Prosthetic Arm [Watch (HLS stream): FDA Approves First Mind-Powered Prosthetic Arm](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zN01mTTm.m3u8) (1:25)  _Published 2014-05-13. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a mind-controlled prosthetic arm. Researchers say it allows for simultaneous control of multiple joints._  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent May 14, 2014 4:39 PM UTC  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent May 14, 2014 4:39 PM UTC It took eight years of research, but the inventor of the [Segway](http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,186660,00.html) finally succeeded in developing the closest thing to a replacement for amputated arms—and it’s a game changer. Dean Kamen’s [bionic version](http://www.dekaresearch.com/deka%5Farm.shtml) works by picking up on the electric signals near the point of amputation and translating those to the prosthetic, a transparent replica of a human arm and hand, complete with fingers and a thumb. Named Luke after the Star Wars hero who lost his hand in a light-saber duel, the arm gives users the ability to perform multiple functions at one time, an advance over most available prosthetics. The human brain automatically calibrates the amount of grip needed to pick up objects, and knows to adjust strength in order to handle a coin as opposed to a book. The Luke arm does the same, switching between six different grips as the wearer decides. Being able to control several joints at the same time also increases the user’s range of motion, allowing him to open a lock with a key or chop food to prepare a meal. The device, developed with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and from Kamen’s [DEKA Research and Development](http://www.dekaresearch.com/index.shtml), can be fitted for people with amputations at the shoulder, upper arm or lower arm, but not at the elbow or wrist. ## Transcript The US food and drug administration has approved a bit of tech straight out of Star Wars. The Deka arm system is a new kind of prosthetic arm controlled by the wearer's brain not body. Reportedly weighing about as much as the human arm, the Deka arm also allows for simultaneous control of multiple joints. The Deka arm simply offers more motion with less thought. And yes, it's nicknamed the Luke arm, after Luke Skywalker. See the resemblance? Although there are a variety of similar devices in the works, the DEKA arm is the first with FDA approval. That's thanks in part to a Department of Veteran's Affairs study. Seen in reports 36 people were fitted with the prosthesis. The study found that about 90 % of participants were able to perform activities they were not able to perform with their current prosthesis, like using keys and locks or delicately transferring eggs without breaking them as seen in this video. Funded by DARPA, the research branch of the US Defense Department, the project started nearly 8 years ago. Here's what it looked like back in 2009. DARPA sees it as a way to repay some of the debt we owe to our service members. It won't work on everyone, however. The FDA says it can be configured for people with limb loss from shoulder, mid upper and mid lower arm down. It won't work from the elbow or wrist joints. But now that it's FDA okay, Drauper can start marketing and selling the prosthetic arm in the US. No word on how much it will cost. Extreme Tech warns us that sophisticated prosthesis can cost as much as $ 50, 000. I'm Lauren Gores. 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