BY ABBY MAGYAR

The Deka Arm System is the breakthrough prosthetic arm that moves and operates just like a typical arm. It acts like a moveable shoulder, a twistable wrist, and a bendable elbow. This advanced arm is supposed to act like a normal amputee arm, but it can do the same things as an average arm.

This mechanism is powered by signals that come from electromyogram electrodes. The electrodes in the arm sense electrical activity on the muscles that are close to where the beginning of the prosthetic is placed on the arm. A computer chip, inside the arm, receives the electromyogram signals which allows the arm to bend and pick up very large, or very small things at a time.

Mrs. Rohrer, a wadsworth biology teacher, said, “The arm is amazing. The fact that it can pick up such small items with such dexterity is truly remarkable.”

The prosthetic arm also works to move several joints in the arm at once as well. Special switches wirelessly send signals to the microchip located inside the arm. From there this allows the amputees to move the arm in several positions at a time.

This new structure will revolutionize the prosthetic arm. The weight of this arm is the same as a typical arm. People without an arm will be able to move and operate this arm as if it were their own arm. With the mobile shoulder, flexible wrist, and the adaptable elbow, the prosthetic will be able to give amputees a normal life.

Mr. Jurey, a wadsworth biology teacher, said it best, “I think getting back to as normal a life as fast as possible after losing a limb is an important part of the emotional healing process.”

This Arm does not have a price tag yet. Researchers still do not know how long it will be before it is out for availability.