DEKA Innovative Solutions Corp. was recently awarded a contract for the design, development, manufacture and delivery of sensitized prosthetic arms.
The $6,977,028 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Hand Proprioception & Touch Interfaces (HAPTIX) program and also includes the manufacture and delivery of the prosthetic arms for use under the DARPA Revolutionizing Prosthetics Follow-on Studies (RPFS).
According to a contracts press release from the U.S. Department of Defense, DEKA Innovative Solutions Corp (DISC) will train DARPA HAPTIX and RPFS performers on the setup and operation of the arm systems and provide technical support, maintenance and repair of the arm systems during the HAPTIX Program and RPFS studies. The project has a 57-month period of performance.
The goal for the contract through the HAPTIX program is to develop closed-loop control of the prosthesis to provide amputees with the feel and function of natural limbs. The success of the contract will be determined in a year-long, take-home trial. Data from the trial will be used data to seek market approval and deliver the system into the wider patient population, according to the release.
The RPFS program will provide an approved variant of the DISC arm system to researchers for continued studies through the FDA to inform product and reimbursement code submissions to the CMS, as well as to validate prescription criteria and explore other control techniques.
Reference: www.defense.gov.
