Prosthetic Arm From Segway Inventor Approved by U.S. FDA

A prosthetic arm made by a company founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen was approved for sale by U.S. regulators, who called it the first such device able to respond to multiple simultaneous commands from a wearer’s brain.

Electrodes attached to the arm detect muscle contractions close to the prosthesis, and a computer translates them into movement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said yesterday in a statement. As many as 10 movements can be detected by the limb, which is the same weight and shape as a natural human arm.