First bionic arm gets FDA approval

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a bionic arm, meaning it can be sold commercially. The device is connected to existing muscles in the arm and determines which movements must be performed.

It is the first bionic arm to be approved by the FDA, the government agency reports on its website. Although the FDA only deals with access to the US market, authorization in the United States often leads to authorization in Europe as well. The prosthesis was developed by Deka Research and Development.

The bionic arm is connected to existing muscles in a person whose arm has been partially or completely amputated: the system is modular in design, so that people with a partially amputated arm can also receive the prosthesis. Patients whose arm has been amputated up to the elbow or wrist joint cannot use the bionic arm. The prosthesis reads electrical signals that are issued by the muscles and thus determines which movements must be made.

Patients fitted with the bionic arm can perform several tasks, according to the FDA. For example, it is possible to pick up a glass of water, use a drill or pick up small things, such as a bank card. According to the FDA, the clinical studies show that 90 percent of patients who receive the bionic arm actually succeed in using it.

Deka developed the bionic arm under the name Luke, a reference to Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, who was provided with a prosthetic arm in the films. Although the bionic arm can now be marketed, Deka first wants to find a partner company to get mass production going.