Those of us who were brought up watching the “Six Million Dollar Bionic Man” and the “Bionic Woman,” have been waiting patiently for the future, undeterred by Lindsay Wagner being reduced (?) to selling The Sleep Number Bed on television.  Actually, in truth not so patiently.  I am getting pretty imapatient about the promised man Mars landing! Still the future is all around us as we rocket headlong into it, towards what Ray Kurtzweil has called “The Singularity.”

As a result I was delighted, but not really surprised this morning, to read about FDA approval of Dean Kamen’s, the remarkable inventor who brought us the “Segway,” latest invention the DEKA Arm system, which is shown in this stunning photograph by HANDOUT/Reuters.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) provided more than $40 million for the development of this device.  According to DARPA program manager Justin Sanchez: “It was designed to produce near-natural upper extremity control to injured people who have suffered amputations. This arm system has the same size, weight, shape and grip strength as an adult’s arm would be able to produce.”  The arm can perform complex actions simultaneously and is truly a quantum leap for amputees.

The arm is named for Star Wars character “Luke Skywalker” and is indeed so reminiscent of the prosthetic device that he is fitted with after his arm is cut off with Darth Vader’s light sword.  The photograph is excellent, conveying a beautiful bright translucence.  It is a translucence that enables us to make out the arms inner workings, albeit with a murkiness of vision that belies the cloudiness of the sight with which we must always see the future.

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