The “Luke” Robotic Arm
February 22, 2008 | By Raymond T. Hightower
If you’re old enough to remember Steve Austin (a man barely alive) then you’re certain to be excited by the latest creation from the inventors of the Segway: The most advanced mechanical arm in the world.
DEKA Research
Dean Kamen and his team at DEKA Research created the Segway largely by accident. They were working on the iBot, a wheelchair that allows the user to travel up & down stairs, stand upright, and function independently. Problems solved during the creation of the iBot led the team to invent the Segway.
Arm Challenge
Kamen’s team was issued a challenge by the United States Department of Defense: Build an arm so functional, so close to a real human arm, that a user could use it to pick up and eat a grape. No easy task. While lifting the grape you need to squeeze it hard enough to hold it but not so hard that you squash it. A human arm can handle the task easily.
The “Luke” Arm
Kamen and his team have dubbed their project the “Luke” arm after Luke Skywalker’s prosthetic limb in the Star Wars series. Hear the story and see the arm in this 6-minute video from TED.
Not Done Yet
The DEKA Research team isn’t done yet. But with each design iteration, they get closer to their goal.