 The Revolutionizing Prosthetics program will create, within this decade, a fully functional (motor and sensory) upper limb that responds to direct neural control. This revolution will occur by capitalizing on previous DARPA investments in neuroscience, robotics, sensors, power systems, and actuation. In particular, this program builds on DSO’s Human-Assisted Neural Devices program, which has recently decoded the brain’s motor signals with such fidelity that motor movements of a robotic arm can be achieved entirely by direct brain control.
In two years, DSO has delivered a prosthetic for pre-clinical trials that is far more advanced than any device currently available. This prosthetic enables many degrees of freedom for grasping and other hand functions, and will be rugged and resilient to environmental factors. By 2010, DSO will deliver a prosthetic for clinical trials that has function almost identical to a natural limb in terms of motor control and dexterity, sensory feedback (including proprioception), weight, and environmental resilience. The four-year device will be directly controlled by neural signals. The results of this program will allow upper limb amputees to have as normal a life as possible despite their severe injuries.
Currently, prototypes from the two-year and four-year efforts are undergoing human testing.
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