The prosthetic arms used by the fictional characters of Star Wars will soon become a commercially available reality as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its stamp of approval on the sale and use of the DEKA Arm System for amputees who have lost their limbs from the mid-upper or mid-lower part of their arm or from the shoulder joint.

On Friday, the FDA announced it has given the go signal for the sale of the prosthetic arm dubbed "Luke" for Luke Skywalker, the Star Wars hero who has used a prosthetic hand since losing his in a duel with his father Darth Vader. The green light was given after FDA reviewed clinical data about the device including those from a study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which assessed how the arm could allow amputees perform common self-care and household tasks.

Results of the study showed that 90 percent of the 36 participants were able to perform complex activities with the DEKA Arm System that they could not otherwise do with their current prosthesis such as preparing food, using locks and keys, brushing the hair, using zippers and feeding themselves.

What sets the DEKA Arm System apart from other prosthetic arms is that it is the first to have the capability to perform several movements at a time using electrical signals generated by the contraction of the muscles near the area where the artificial arm is attached. The electromyogram (EMG) electrodes send the electrical signal to a computer processor within the system where it is converted and used to power and control up to 10 movements.

Matt Albuquerque, president of New Hampshire based Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics Inc., which helped DEKA Research and Development Corp. developed the device, said that the prosthesis moves accordingly when its user flexes the muscles responsible for arm and finger movements.

"They don't need to control the shoulder, the elbow and the hand; it's all able to work together in one motion," Albuquerque said.

Christy Foreman, from FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said that the DEKA Arm System offers new and better option for certain amputees.

"The DEKA Arm System may allow some people to perform more complex tasks than they can with current prostheses in a way that more closely resembles the natural motion of the arm," Foreman said.

DEKA has yet to finds a partner to mass-manufacturer its arm system. Until then, the device will not yet be sold. The price of the DEKA Arm System is also yet to be determined.

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