( CNN ) -- Amputees will soon get help from a groundbreaking bionic arm , thanks to the inventor of the Segway and a little inspiration from `` Star Wars . '' After almost eight years of research and testing , the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the DEKA arm , a prosthetic controlled by signals from the brain . Unlike most current prostheses , the DEKA can perform such delicate tasks as zipping up a coat , unlocking a door with a key or handling an egg without breaking it . Funded by DARPA , the research branch of the Pentagon , the DEKA project was overseen by Dean Kamen , who invented the Segway personal vehicle . Kamen nicknamed the DEKA arm `` Luke '' after Luke Skywalker , the `` Star Wars '' hero who was fitted for a prosthetic after losing his right hand in a light-saber duel with Darth Vader . The FDA is calling the device the first prosthetic arm that can perform multiple , simultaneous movements via electromyogram electrodes , which detect electrical signals from the contraction of muscles close to where the prosthesis is attached . The battery-powered arm is about the size and weight of a natural limb and has six different grips . A computer in the device can tell what type of movement its wearer wants to make . `` This innovative prosthesis provides a new option for people with certain kinds of arm amputations , '' said Christy Foreman , director of the FDA 's Office of Device Evaluation . The DEKA arm `` may allow some people to perform more complex tasks than they can with current prostheses in a way that more closely resembles the natural motion of the arm . '' The DEKA bionic arm can be configured for people with limb loss at the shoulder joint , mid upper arm or mid lower arm , the FDA said . It can not be fitted for someone whose arm was amputated at the elbow or wrist . One of the device 's first users was double amputee Chuck Hildreth , who lost both arms in an electrical accident . Hildreth has been demonstrating the DEKA arm on national TV news programs since at least 2009 . `` I never thought in my lifetime I 'd see something this functional come out , '' he told CNN 's Sanjay Gupta in 2010 . `` It 's definitely going to change my life , and more importantly it 's going to change the life of my family . Because ... I 'm going to be less dependent on them . '' In considering whether to approve the device , the FDA reviewed a Department of Veterans Affairs study involving 36 participants fitted with DEKA arms . The study found that about 90 % of participants were able to perform activities they were not able to perform with their current prosthesis , such as using keys and locks , preparing food , feeding themselves and brushing their hair . A video demonstration on DARPA 's website shows a man using the bionic arm to transfer eggs from one carton to another without breaking them . The device was developed by DEKA Integrated Solutions in Manchester , New Hampshire . FDA approval means that DEKA can now legally market and sell the bionic arm in the United States .
FDA approves the DEKA arm , a prosthetic controlled by brain signals . The DEKA project was overseen by Dean Kamen , who invented the Segway . Kamen nicknamed the arm `` Luke '' after Luke Skywalker from `` Star Wars '' The arm can perform delicate tasks such as handling an egg without breaking it .