{"id":115155,"date":"2024-05-09T16:05:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T20:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/?p=115155"},"modified":"2026-03-04T17:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T22:04:38","slug":"080-prosthetic-arm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/080-prosthetic-arm\/","title":{"rendered":"Object 80: LUKE\/DEKA Prosthetic Arm"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:350px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 figure{max-width:350px;}.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .image-is-svg, .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_db8a4b-80 .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image115155_db8a4b-80\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg?resize=1120,1400\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg?resize=1120,1400\" alt=\"The LUKE arm, the prosthetic product of eight years of research and development by DEKA Integrated Solutions. The design marked a significant advance over existing prostheses, with innovative features like pre-programmed hand grips and powered joints capable of simultaneous movement. (darpa.mil) \" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-115153\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271200%27%20height%3D%271500%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201200%201500%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271200%27%20height%3D%271500%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg?resize=240,300 240w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg?resize=480,600 480w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg?resize=768,960 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg?resize=1120,1400 1120w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-arms.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The LUKE arm, the product of eight years of research and development by DEKA Integrated Solutions. The design marked a significant advance over existing prostheses, with innovative features like pre-programmed hand grips and powered joints capable of simultaneous movement. (darpa.mil)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 19th century, the federal government left the manufacture and distribution of artificial limbs for disabled Veterans to private enterprise. After the <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/100-objects\/object-63-disabled-union-veterans\/\">Civil War, Union amputees<\/a> did receive an allowance of $50 to $75 dollars for the purchase of a prosthetic device, along with free transportation to have it fitted. But that was the extent of the government\u2019s involvement. The experience of fighting two world wars in the first half of the 20th century led to a reversal in this policy. During World War I, the Army sent all amputees to <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/100-objects\/64-public-health-service\/\">Walter Reed General Hospital<\/a> in Washington, D.C., to be fitted with a government-issued prosthesis and go through rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the interwar era, first the <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/featured-stories\/veterans-bureau\/\">Veterans Bureau<\/a> and then the <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/featured-stories\/va-created\/\">Veterans Administration<\/a> assumed responsibility for providing replacement limbs and medical care to Veterans. Following World War II, the Veterans Administration also took the lead in promoting <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/100-objects\/object-8-public-law-79-293\/\">research<\/a> into prosthetics design. Starting in 1948, VA\u2019s newly established Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service disbursed a million dollars a year to universities and other institutions engaged in this work. In the 1970s, Congress increased the budget for prosthetics research and VA redirected its focus to funding projects conducted by its own investigators at VA medical facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent decades, another federal agency, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.darpa.mil\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense Advanced Research Project Agency<\/a> (DARPA), has joined VA as a supporter of cutting-edge research into artificial limb technology. DARPA\u2019s efforts were spurred by the spike in traumatic injuries resulting from the emergence of improvised explosive devices as the insurgent\u2019s weapon of choice in Iraq in 2003-04. In July 2004, Dr. Brett P. Giroir, the deputy director of the agency\u2019s Defense Sciences Office, testified before Congress of DARPA\u2019s intent to develop \u201cbiologically integrated fully functional limb replacements . . . that allow fine motor control\u201d and normal sense of touch.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image115155_b34958-78.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image115155_b34958-78 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:600px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_b34958-78.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_b34958-78 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image115155_b34958-78 figure{max-width:600px;}.kb-image115155_b34958-78 .image-is-svg, .kb-image115155_b34958-78 .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image115155_b34958-78 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image115155_b34958-78 img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_b34958-78 .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image115155_b34958-78 img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_b34958-78 .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image115155_b34958-78 img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_b34958-78 .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image115155_b34958-78\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"934\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=1400,511\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=1400,511\" alt=\"The Lincoln Arm, designed and patented by Massachusetts carpenter Marvin Lincoln during the Civil War. Up until World War I, the federal government relied on private manufacturers to furnish artificial limbs to military amputees. (National Museum of Civil War Medicine)\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-115152\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%27934%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%20934%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%27934%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=300,109 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=600,219 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=768,280 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=1400,511 1400w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg?resize=1536,560 1536w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Lincoln-arm.jpg 2560w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The Lincoln Arm, designed and patented by Massachusetts carpenter Marvin Lincoln during the Civil War. Up until World War I, the federal government relied on private manufacturers to furnish artificial limbs to military amputees. (National Museum of Civil War Medicine) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While an arm or leg prosthesis with those capabilities seemed far-fetched at the time, DARPA launched the \u201cRevolutionizing Prosthetics\u201d program a year later to turn that vision into a reality. DARPA invested over $100 million in the program between 2005 and 2018. One of the first initiatives it funded was development of an innovative battery-powered upper arm prosthesis by DEKA Integrated Solution Corporation. DEKA\u2019s design improved on existing prostheses by including a simpler and more flexible control system and a range of pre-programmed grips of varying strength. Another radical feature of the arm was that its joints could be moved simultaneously instead of sequentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By 2007, DEKA had completed initial testing of the first two prototypes of the arm. At this point, VA partnered with DAPRA to evaluate the Gen 2 prototype in a wider clinical trial. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.research.va.gov\/services\/rrd.cfm\" rel=\"noopener\">VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service<\/a> funded an \u201cOptimization Study\u201d under the direction of VA research scientist Linda Resnik. Phase one of the study collected data on amputees wearing the arm in supervised sessions at four VA medical centers and one Army site. Feedback from the trials led to numerous refinements in the software and other aspects of the Gen 2 design. The Gen 3 version of the DEKA arm was ready for the second phase of testing by VA in early 2011.\u00a0DEKA made several major changes to this iteration of the prosthesis, beginning with the form-fitting rubber sleeve covering the exterior. This gave the arm a much more lifelike appearance than the robotic-looking Gen 2 prototype with its exposed mechanics. Other improvements affected such elements as the user interface, grip strength, hand speed, and the wrist and shoulder joint design.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:450px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b figure{max-width:450px;}.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .image-is-svg, .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image115155_1381ac-7b img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_1381ac-7b .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image115155_1381ac-7b\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"796\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg?w=796\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg?w=796\" alt=\"The Gen 2 prototype of the arm, acquired in 2015 by the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland. VA research scientist Linda Resnik led a multi-site study that evaluated both the Gen 2 and Gen 3 versions of the prosthetic device. (National Museum of Health and Medicine)\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-115154\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27796%27%20height%3D%27374%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20796%20374%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27796%27%20height%3D%27374%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg?resize=300,141 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg?resize=600,282 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg?resize=768,361 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-LUKE-Deka.jpg 796w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The Gen 2 prototype of the arm, acquired in 2015 by the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland. VA research scientist Linda Resnik led a multi-site study that evaluated both the Gen 2 and Gen 3 versions of the prosthetic device. (National Museum of Health and Medicine) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eight long years of research and development paid off in May 2014 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the DEKA arm. Another two years elapsed before a company called Mobius Bionics was formed to produce a commercial version of the limb. The prosthesis was renamed for marketing purposes the LUKE (short for Life Under Kinetic Evolution) arm, a reference to Luke Skywalker who received a bionic replacement for the hand he lost in a duel in the second <em>Star Wars<\/em> film. Later in 2016, DARPA also finalized an agreement with Walter Reed to supply the artificial arm to the medical center.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image115155_adce19-5c.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image115155_adce19-5c .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:400px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_adce19-5c.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image115155_adce19-5c .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image115155_adce19-5c figure{max-width:400px;}.kb-image115155_adce19-5c .image-is-svg, .kb-image115155_adce19-5c .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image115155_adce19-5c .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}.kb-image115155_adce19-5c img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_adce19-5c .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-image115155_adce19-5c img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_adce19-5c .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-image115155_adce19-5c img.kb-img, .kb-image115155_adce19-5c .kb-img img{border-top:0px solid #000000;border-right:0px solid #000000;border-bottom:0px solid #000000;border-left:0px solid #000000;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image115155_adce19-5c\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=1400,1050\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=1400,1050\" alt=\"Much decorated Vietnam Veteran and former VA executive Frederick Downs, Jr., gives a thumbs up while demonstrating the fluid movements possible with the LUKE arm. At an event hosted by VA in 2017, Downs and another Veteran became the first recipients of the artificial arm. (darpa.mil)\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-115158\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271920%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201920%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271920%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=1400,1050 1400w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/080-Thumbs-up-scaled.jpg 2560w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Much decorated Vietnam Veteran and former VA executive Frederick Downs, Jr., gives a thumbs up while demonstrating the fluid movements possible with the LUKE arm. At an event hosted by VA in 2017, Downs and another Veteran became the first recipients of the artificial arm. (darpa.mil)   <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On June 30, 2017, DARPA and VA jointly celebrated another milestone in the LUKE\/DEKA development story. In a ceremony at&nbsp;the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/new-york-harbor-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA New York Harbor Health Care System<\/a> in Manhattan, Vietnam era Veterans Frederick Downs, Jr., and Artie McAuley became the first amputees to receive the LUKE arm. Downs, who earned a Silver Star and a Bronze Star for Valor in the war, had worked at VA for several decades, serving for a time as the director of its Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service. During the New York ceremony, the two men showed off their newfound dexterity while wearing the arm, with Downs employing the thumb and index finger grip to peel a banana. Speaking to a reporter prior to the event, Secretary of VA David J. Shulkin called the artificial limb \u201ca life-changer.\u201d He added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people, including our first veterans being fitted today, are still using technology that was 40 years old, which is a hook mounted onto a piece of plastic. Now they can return to doing things like cooking, lifting up suitcases. It gives them a functionality they never had.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Downs put it another way while speaking to the press: &#8220;These may seem like very simple, routine things but to someone who can&#8217;t do it, to be able to be given this function it&#8217;s like magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA\u2019s and DARPA\u2019s efforts to advance the state of the art in prosthetics design have not ended with the LUKE Arm. Both agencies have continued to support research projects that promise to expand the functionality of artificial limbs even further. If these studies pan out, future versions of the LUKE arm and other prostheses may include yet more revolutionary features, such as the ability to provide sensory feedback and be controlled via electrodes implanted in the body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the 19th century, the federal government left the manufacture and distribution of prosthetic limbs for disabled Veterans to private enterprise. The experience of fighting two world wars in the first half of the 20th century led to a reversal in this policy.<\/p>\n<p>In the interwar era, first the Veterans Bureau and then the Veterans Administration assumed responsibility for providing replacement limbs and medical care to Veterans. <\/p>\n<p>In recent decades, another federal agency, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), has joined VA as a supporter of cutting-edge research into artificial limb technology. DARPA\u2019s efforts were spurred by the spike in traumatic injuries resulting from the emergence of improvised explosive devices as the insurgent\u2019s weapon of choice in Iraq in 2003-04. <\/p>\n<p>Out of that effort came the LUKE\/DEKA prosthetic limb, named after the main character from &#8220;Star Wars.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[27,109,19,30,28,94,32,8],"class_list":["post-115155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-100-objects","tag-civil-war","tag-department-of-veterans-affairs","tag-research","tag-innovation","tag-veterans-administration","tag-veterans-health-administration","tag-world-war-i","tag-world-war-ii"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/080-prosthetic-arm\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Object 80: LUKE\/DEKA Prosthetic Arm","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/080-prosthetic-arm\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/080-prosthetic-arm\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/80-1-LUKE-Arms-on-Torso-Original-e1772661833643.webp?w=300","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/05\/80-1-LUKE-Arms-on-Torso-Original-e1772661833643.webp"},"articleSection":"History of VA in 100 Objects","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)"}],"creator":["Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA History","logo":""},"keywords":["civil war","department of veterans affairs","research","va research at 100","veterans administration","veterans health administration","world war i","world war ii"],"dateCreated":"2024-05-09T20:05:05Z","datePublished":"2024-05-09T20:05:05Z","dateModified":"2026-03-04T22:04:38Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Object 80: LUKE\\\/DEKA Prosthetic Arm\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/080-prosthetic-arm\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/080-prosthetic-arm\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/80-1-LUKE-Arms-on-Torso-Original-e1772661833643.webp?w=300\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/80-1-LUKE-Arms-on-Torso-Original-e1772661833643.webp\"},\"articleSection\":\"History of VA in 100 Objects\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)\"}],\"creator\":[\"Department of Veterans Affairs (smw)\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"VA History\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"civil war\",\"department of veterans affairs\",\"research\",\"va research at 100\",\"veterans administration\",\"veterans health administration\",\"world war i\",\"world war ii\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2024-05-09T20:05:05Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-09T20:05:05Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T22:04:38Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/department.va.gov\/p.js"},"meta_box":{"external_links":"1","endorsement":"1","subheading":"","featured_image_alt_text":"The LUKE arm, the product of eight years of research and development by DEKA Integrated Solutions. The design marked a significant advance over existing prostheses, with innovative features like pre-programmed hand grips and powered joints capable of simultaneous movement. 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