The Program

Begun in 2006, DARPA's Revolutionizing Prosthetics program set out to expand prosthetic arm options for today's wounded warriors. The program funded two teams to create advanced anthropomorphic mechanical arms and control systems: DEKA Research and Development Corporation to get an arm control system to market quickly, and the other—with APL as the system integrator and lead—to produce a fully neurally integrated upper-extremity prosthesis with appropriate documentation for clinical trials, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals, and manufacturing transition. APL is creating a modular architecture and extensible platform that provides a framework for future developments by us or others.

A prosthesis requires the following characteristics in order to reflect the properties of a biological limb:

• sensors for touch, temperature, vibration, and proprioception (the ability to sense the position of the arm and hand relative to other parts of the body)
• power that will allow extended use
• mechanical components that will provide strength and environmental tolerance (to heat, cold, water, humidity, dust, etc.)

With this new prosthetic, an upper-extremity amputee would be able to feel and manipulate objects just like a person with a native hand.

Major Events