Johnny Matheny uses APL's Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL) to take a drink

Revolutionizing Prosthetics

We led a flagship Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-funded effort to develop an advanced prosthetic arm, applying our biomechanical, manufacturing, and signal processing expertise to create a thought-controlled artificial limb that duplicates the movements of the human arm and hand. The team included scientists and engineers from thirty organizations.

Our Contribution

Revolutionizing Prosthetics was an ambitious multiyear program—funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)—to create a neurally controlled artificial limb that would restore near-natural motor and sensory capability to upper-extremity amputee patients.

APL led an interdisciplinary team consisting of other Johns Hopkins institutions, government agencies, universities, and private firms to implement DARPA’s vision of providing the most advanced upper-extremity prosthesis.

Related Work

Learn more about our ongoing work in neural interfaces.

Related Areas of Impact