VA-DARPA Arm: A New Robotic Prosthesis

VA-DARPA Arm Clinical Trial Covered in The Washington Post 06/06/09. Last week, VA announced the start of a three-year clinical trial that represents the first large-scale testing of the "DARPA" arm, developed by Deka Research and Development, which undertook the project 30 months ago as part of a $100 million program to revolutionize prosthetics sponsored by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The clinical trial is a critical step before the device can be made widely available. The first patient was fitted with an arm in April.

The robotic prosthesis provides a groundbreaking new range of movement and mobility, and is designed for those who have lost a limb up to their shoulder joint. Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA's chief research and development officer, was recently quoted in The Washington Post as describing the prosthesis as being "light years closer to a real arm", and also noted that work developing effective devices for arm replacement is more difficult due to the refined movement associated with the hand, elbow, and shoulder.More about the DARPA arm and the VA's clinical trial is described in the May issue of Research Currents, as well as in the June 3 issue of The Washington Post. VA Office of Research & Development