Learn more about the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, as told by...
This video from the University of Utah highlights our work developing closed-loop sensorimotor neuroprostheses. We're now gearing up for a "take-home trial" where participants will take the LUKE arm home with them and use it in their daily lives.
The Craig H. Neilsen Hospital officially opened at the University of Utah on May 28th, 2020. Despite opening in the midst of a pandemic, we have accomplished a lot and the hospital has emerged as the preeminent location for rehabilitation in the Mountain West. One year from opening, we reflect on the amazing facilities and accomplishments of our team in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
This short video segment from ABC news highlights our recent work on biomimetic sensory feedback and dexterous motor control for prostheses. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Gregory Clark and the broader Center for Neural Interfaces at the University of Utah.
This video segment from Fox 13 news includes a short interview with a prior participant in our research studies: Keven Walgamott. Keven describes the emotional impact of feeling a sense of touch from a bionic hand for the first time since his amputation 13 years ago.
When Utahns saw the new "Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker" in theaters, they got a glimpse of real-life technology developed at the University of Utah that seems fitting for a galaxy far far away! This Ad aired in movie theaters across the state in order to inspire the next generation of "Jedi Scientists" who can help us continue to turn science fiction into reality.
This extended video segment by Colomba films (Santiago, Chile) highlights our recent participant, Keven Walgamott, who was one of the first to use the LUKE Arm. Keven recalls what it was like to have a bionic arm controlled entirely by thought and endowed with a sense of touch. This video segment also highlight several ongoing research projects in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab and broader Center for Neural Interfaces.
This short video from the Association of Clinical and Translational Sciences highlights the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab's leading efforts in bionic devices and brain-computer interfaces for restoring sensorimotor function after life-altering neuromuscular impairment.
This 10-min presentation provides an overview of the foundations of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab. Dr. George highlights his foundational research that led to the establishment of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab with support from highly prestigious NIH Director's Early Independence Award.
This video provides an overview of the Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation hospital, which features state-of-the-art research and clinical equipment and amazing views of the nearby Wasatch Mountains.
The Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital sets a new standard for rehabilitation across the Mountain West. We provide a holistic team-based rehabilitation strategy that incorporates new technology developed within the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab.
Additional Media Articles
Published Books
2021 Princeton University Press, “Spark: The Life of Electricity and the Electricity of Life”
Documentaries
2020 T13 (Chilean TV), “AL LÍMITE DE LA FICCIÓN: STAR WARS INSPIRÓ A CIENTÍFICOS PARA CREAR BRAZO ROBÓTICO”
Public Presentations
2022 University of Utah Health, “Vitae 2022: People and Stories that Drive Our Research”
2021 University of Utah Health Partners, “Can we control a robotic hand with our mind? Jacob George, PhD”
2017 Aspen Ideas Festival, “The Implications – Bright and Dark – of Powerful New Technologies”
2017 Society for Neuroscience Press Conference, “Restoring touch generators a sense of ownership over prosthetic hands”
Podcasts, Blogs, and Vlogs
2022 Global Visions by Brown Journal of World Affairs, “S02 E01 - Dr. Jacob George: Director of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab”
2022 Neural Implant Podcast, “Jacob George on implantable and wearable neurotech research at the University of Utah”
2022 The Superposition, “Q&A with Dr. Jacob George”
2020 Neural Implant Podcast, “FDA approves IDE for take-home trial using the DEKA LUKE prosthetic arm and Utah Slant Array : Participants will be able to take home the dexterous bionic hand which they can feel in next phase of research”
2018 LocalLife, “The Trail of the RBC Heritage Ticket: Jacob George”
2017 Neuro Transmissions, “Is Luke’s Robotic Hand Possible?”
Indexed News Articles
2020 IEEE Pulse, “Restoring the Sense of Touch: From “Sci-Fi Dream” to Reality”
2019 JAMA, “Better Sensation and Dexterity for Artificial Hands”
Mainstream Media News Articles
2022 National Geographic, “The audacious science pushing the boundaries of human touch feature”
2021 ABC News, “U of U Professor makes Forbes ’30 under 30′ list”
2021 Forbes, “30 Under 30 In Science 2022: Finding New Worlds, Communicating STEM And Helping Dogs Live Longer”
2021 Forbes, “30 Under 30: Jacob George”
2021 Forbes, “30 Under 30: Science. Inventing the future from the atom up”
2019 Washington Post, “New prosthetic limbs go beyond the functional to allow people to ‘feel’ again”
2019 NPR, “Improved Prosthetic Hand Has A Lighter Touch And Easy Grip”
2019 PBS NOVA, “This robotic hand can partially restore a sense of touch”
2019 CNN, “Amputee can feel objects again with prosthetic arm inspired by Luke Skywalker”
2019 ABC News, “U of U researchers create prosthetic arm that can feel”
2019 Fox News, “Bionic arm lets Utah man control it with just his thoughts”
2019 USA Today, “A bionic hand named after Luke Skywalker could help amputees feel again”
2019 Reuters, “Star Wars-inspired prosthetic lets amputee 'feel' again”
2019 The London Times, “‘Luke Skywalker’ robotic arm lets amputee feel again”
2019 The Guardian, “'At last I can feel again': Robotic hand gives user a sense of touch”
2019 Independent, “Robotic arm named after Luke Skywalker enables amputee to touch and feel again”
2019 Scientific American, “A Robot Hand Helps Amputees ‘Feel’ Again”
2019 CNET, “The Luke Skywalker arm let an amputee wear his wedding ring again after 17 years”
2019 Gizmodo, “Scientists Have Created a Prosthetic Arm That Lets Patients Feel Touch Again”
2019 Mashable, “This ‘Star Wars’-inspired prosthetic arm gives amputees the ability to feel again”
2019 Fox World Media, “Prosthetic Arm That Is Motorized Has the Ability to Move with Your Thoughts and Can Sense Touch”
2019 Smithsonian, “Robotic Hand Restores Wearer’s Sense of Touch”
2019 Popular Mechanics, “The Star Wars-Inspired Robotic Arm That Gives Amputees a Sense of Touch”
2019 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), “This man was able to grasp his wife's hand — and feel it — with new prosthetic technology”
2019 Medgadget, “World’s Most Advanced Prosthetic Now With Sense of Touch”
2018 US News & World Report, “Veteran’s Bionic Hand Is Turning Heads in Mandeville”
2017 Wired, “The Merging of Humans and Machines is Happening Now”
2017 The Washington Post, “New Robotic Hand Name After Luke Skywalker Helps Amputee Touch and Feel Again”
2017 Mashable, “Experimental research is giving the sense of touch to robotic prosthetics”
2017 US News & World Report, “Mandeville Man Ready for Amputation, Bionic Arm”
Scientific Organization News Articles
2021 Facebook Reality Labs, “Announcing the winners of the 2021 Engineering Approaches to Responsible Neural Interface Design request for proposals”
2021 Association for Clinical and Translational Science, "2021 ACTS Outstanding Trainee: Post-Doctoral Award: Jacob A. George, PhD"
2020 National Institutes of Health, “NIH to support 85 new grants featuring high-risk, high-reward research”
2020 National Institutes of Health, “NIH Director’s Early Independence Award Recipients”
2019 Society for Neuroscience Twitter, “Brain Awareness Week”
2018 Inside Neuroscience Quarterly, “Restoring Sensation”
2017 Society for Neuroscience Hot Topic Media Release, “Performance of tasks with closed-loop control of sensorized prosthetic hands by a transradial amputee with peripheral nerve and intramuscular implants”
Additional News Articles
2022 Mind Matters News, "What if a prosthetic limb could feel like the real thing?"
2021 Newsweek, “'Skywalker' Prosthetic Hand Feels Like It's the Real Thing to Amputees”
2020 UChicago News, “UChicago neuroscientists expand possibilities for realistic prosthetic limbs”
2019 Good News Network, “Robotic Arm Named After Luke Skywalker Enables Amputee to Touch and Feel Again: 'It almost put me to tears'”
2019 Tech Xplore, “Motorized prosthetic arm that can sense touch, move with your thoughts”
2019 EurekAlert, “Reach out and touch someone”
2019 AMI-Audio, “The LUKE Arm”
2019 O&P Edge, “University Engineers Develop Prosthetic Arm That Can Move, Feel”
2019 Gestión, “El ‘brazo Luke’, una prótesis capaz de coger un huevo sin romperlo”
2019 Interesting Engineering, “New Star Wars Prosthetic Arm Can Sense, Touch, Move With Your Thoughts”
2019 SlashGear, “Prosthetic ‘Luke Arm’ mimics how a hand feels objects”
2019 LabMate Online, “Can Prosthetics Sense Touch?”
2019 MedIndia, “Novel Technology may Help Amputees Touch and Feel Again”
2019 Science Daily, “Motorized prosthetic arm can sense touch, move with your thoughts”
2019 Tech Times, “LOOK: Robotic Arm Named After Luke Skywalker Lets Users ‘Feel’”
2019 Medical Daily, “Prosthetics Breakthrough: Robot Arm Lets User Feel Touch Again”
2019 Science Alert, “This Robotic Arm Inspired by Luke Skywalker Has Allowed an Amputee to Feel Again”
2019 Wonderful Engineering, “LUKE Arm Is A Prosthetic Arm That Can Sense Every Touch”
2019 Ankeny Observer, “The Empire Strikes Back – Luke Skywalker Prosthetic Hands”
2019 News Coed, “University of Utah Students Develop Prosthetic System to Regain Senses”
2019 Singularity Hub, “Moving Beyond Mind-Controlled Limbs to Prosthetics That Can Actually ‘Feel’”
2019 Newz Hook, “‘Luke’ prosthetic limb promises to restore sense of touch to amputees”
2019 We Are The Mighty, “This 'Star Wars' prosthetic helps amputees touch and feel again”
2019 CBR, “Star Wars: A Luke Skywalker-Inspired Prosthetic Arm Lets Amputee Feel Again”
2019 Online Focus, “’Star Wars’-Prothese lässt Menschen Objekte erfühlen”
2019 CTV News, “Experimental prosthetic arm allows amputees to 'feel' again”
2019 Medscape, “The Week That Wasn't: Bionic Hands, Weaponized Ticks, Wellness Shots”
2019 China.org, “U.S. engineers develop robotic arm that can feel things”
2019 Express Digest, “Robotic arm allows amputee to touch and feel again – using only the power of THOUGHT”
2019 Gilmore Health, “Motorized Prosthetic Arm That Works With Thoughts Enables Amputee To Sense Touch”
2019 Top of Mind, “Biomedical Engineers Pave Way for Prosthetic Arm that Can Move and Feel the Same as a Human Arm”
2019 Constant Wonder, “Robotic LUKE Hand Let Amputee Feel Fingers Again”
2019 Mirror UK, “Brain-controlled robotic arm lets amputee pick grapes and send text messages”
2017 SingularityHub, “Thought-Controlled Prosthetic Hand Restores 100 Realistic Touch Sensations”
2017 Sputnik News International, “’Simply Move’: Prosthetic Technology Offers New Hope Spinal Cord Injury Victims”
2017 Digital Trends, “High-tech Neuroprosthetic “Luke” Arm Lets Amputee Touch and Feel Again”
2017 Interesting Engineering, “This Robotic Arm Named After Luke Skywalker is Pushing the Boundaries of Prosthetics”
2017 The Times-Picayune, “After Years of Pain, Mandeville Man Ready for Amputation, Bionic Arm”
2017 The Times-Picayune, “Mandeville Army Vet’s Amputation: ‘Pain in the Name of Progress’”
2017 MedCityNews, “Neuroscientists Take Baby Steps Towards Better Prosthetics”
2017 TechFresca, “High-Tech Neuroprosthetic Arm Allows User to Touch and Feel”
2017 TheWeek, “This Robotic Hand Restores Amputees’ Sense of Touch”
2017 SpinOff, “Users Regain Over 100 Sensations in the Arm”
Utah News Articles
2023 Deseret News, “Before he was named Sterling Scholar, this high schooler excelled in college-level robotics research”
2020 Utah Business, “The bionic arm of the future is here”
2019 Salt Lake Tribune, “University of Utah robotics breakthrough, the LUKE Arm, will be seen at theaters playing ‘Star Wars’ movie”
2019 Deseret News, “University of Utah bioengineers advance thought-controlled prosthetics to sense of touch”
2018 SaltLakeMagazine, “Strange Science, Serious Solutions”
2017 The Daily Utah Chronicle, “LUKE Robotic Arm Pays Tribute to Star Wars”
University of Utah Press Releases
2022 University of Utah Biomedical Engineering, “BME PhD Alum, Jake George, Selected for 2022 VITAE”
2022 University of Utah Biomedical Engineering, “BME Students Present Research on Capitol Hill”
2022 University of Utah Biomedical Engineering, “Utah BME Student Wins Second Place at Podium Competition”
2022 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, “ECE Student Wins First Place at Podium Competition”
2022 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, "George Receives $200K Grant"
2022 University of Utah Health 360 Connect, “Star Wars-Inspired Prosthetic Lets Amputees Move and Feel”
2022 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, “George Featured in The Superposition and Mind Matters News”
2021 @theU, “George Named one of ’30 under 30’”
2021 University of Utah Health, “Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Faculty Named One of Forbes’ “30 Under 30””
2021 University of Utah College of Engineering, “George Named One of ’30 Under 30’”
2021 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, “George Awarded Ascender Grant”
2021 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, “George Awarded Facebook Grant”
2021 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, “George Awarded NVIDIA Jetson Nano Grant”
2021 University of Utah Electrical and Computer Engineering, "Jacob George Receives NIH Award"
2020 University of Utah Health, “Three U of U Health Scientists Receive High-Risk High-Reward Grants Recognizing Innovation and Impact”
2020 University of Utah Engineering, “Luke Arm Documentary”
2020 University of Utah Biomedical Engineering, “LUKE arm researcher receives NIH award”
2020 University of Utah, “U of U Silicon Slopes Summit 2020”
2019 University of Utah Advertising, “The force is with U”
2019 University of Utah Magazine, “A New Hope”
2019 University of Utah Fall Newsletter, “High Tech High Touch”
2019 Unews, “Prosthetic arm can move and feel”
2019 University of Utah College of Engineering, “Prosthetic Arm that Can ‘Feel’”
2019 University of Utah YouTube, “University of Utah researchers develop LUKE Arm”
2018 University of Utah Twitter, “They call the project "Luke Skywalker." Led by bioengineering professor Greg Clark, a team of U engineers are developing a prosthetic arm that can be controlled by brain waves and provides a sense of touch.”