Another triumph here is the (relative) speed of its approval. Fast-tracked in the FDA's 'de novo' classification process, the DARPA-funded project has gone from idea to ready for the market in eight years. Bloomberg reports that the government agency put up $40 million to help develop the device, which is modular enough to fit people who have any degree of loss, from a hand to the full limb. Going far beyond the metal hooks that have been commonly fitted to those with upper limb amputations, it's battery powered, "similar" in size and weight to a natural limb and has six different grips. It's capable of recognizing up to 10 specific movements There's no word on how much the device will cost, but Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics president Matt Albuquerque says now it will look for a commercial partner to start mass production.