Neural Noise

Bionic LUKE Arm first test in day-to-day use (University of Utah)

2 min read

  • The bionic LUKE Arm is facing its first test in day-to-day use, advancing neuroprosthetics translation.1
  • Daily-use trials are a key validation step for powered prosthetics; the Utah ecosystem remains a hub for prosthetic and neural-interface work.1 1

Gardner updates

  • University of Utah engineers demonstrated neural control of a bionic hand with ‘a mind of its own,’ aligning with neuroprosthetics and motor BCI applications. 2

Weekly enrichment (2026-07-20)

  • The University of Utah’s Investigational Device Exemption Early Feasibility Study has reached a milestone in which, for the first time, a participant will take the thought-controlled LUKE Arm home to use independently for daily activities rather than only in the lab.34
  • The trial had enrolled eight participants to date, previously supervised by emeritus biomedical engineering professor Gregory Clark and orthopedic surgeon Douglas Hutchinson on the U campus.35
  • The trial targets transradial amputees (arm lost below the elbow); enrolled patients receive Utah Slanted Electrode Arrays (USEAs) and intramuscular electromyographic (iEMG) recording leads implanted into residual arm nerves and muscles.35
  • After lab fitting and preliminary testing, participants can take the device home for one year, and potentially longer, marking the shift to unsupervised real-world use.34
  • The multiarticulate bionic arm was developed by DEKA; the University of Utah has developed the direct nerve interface enabling thought control since 2019.4
  • A new contract with startup Biologic Input Output Systems (BIOS) supports recruitment of the next participant and the transition toward a commercial neuroprosthesis; BIOS licensed the technology from the university in 2022.34
  • The BIOS direct nerve interface earned an FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in March 2024 and admission to the FDA’s Total Product Lifecycle Advisory Program, both used to fast-track promising devices.6
  • The associated HAPTIX (Hand Proprioception and Touch Interfaces) study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05505513) records EMG via up to 8 bipolar PermaLoc electrodes and neural signals via up to 3 percutaneous USEAs implanted intrafascicularly, with nerve stimulation delivering cutaneous touch and proprioceptive feedback.7
  • The work traces to Richard Normann (inventor of the Utah Array) and Florian Solzbacher (who commercialized it via Blackrock Neurotech), underscoring Utah’s role as a hub for neural-interface and neuroprosthetics translation; funding came from DARPA and the NSF.3

Footnotes

  1. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimgFBVV95cUxNd2ZxT2habHcxcXhRUHJUZDQyM0EycUdvbU1haDVCWFpYTDg2dFg1LVhEVExVaDFNZjFCSkFRWWdtbG9KaXN3VkNsTm1tSkVqcVk3elZ4VnA1YU96MGJpMS0zSjhaQ0V4NE5DelpHU0d2VlpxVUxVQ1pKYjdiaHZJczBJdFVXcXpRUVdtaHMyc2Y0OVZnRU1jd3pB?oc=5 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikwFBVV95cUxQcWdlOGlTZndPNzJncVBXb0ZJazFLTmZaWXEyRF9Mbm9jalA1Zm1IcmRIY1VUa0FYWlRremhUS1ZlU3N2RUpQbWd0N0ZWTWxHRWpMbUptdGtsenJiM0c1cU5qZG5mUUNlZi1RU3VEQkxTdE96ekZLN0s3UUg2MGFpZlZoUU1kMDc1MGlaSlZVRXJ5X1U?oc=5 ↩

  3. https://attheu.utah.edu/science-technology/bionic-luke-arm-faces-first-test-in-day-to-day-use/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  4. https://opedge.com/luke-arm-faces-first-test-in-daily-use/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. https://www.price.utah.edu/2025/01/15/luke-arm-clinical-trial-now-ready-to-test-day-to-day-use ↩ ↩2

  6. https://www.price.utah.edu/2025/02/07/us-advanced-robotic-arm-to-be-featured-at-big-game ↩

  7. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05505513 ↩

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