September 18, 2026
Reposted from the Price College of Engineering. Featuring work from One-U Responsible AI Initiative postdoctoral fellow Marshall Trout.
Participant Tests Direct Nerve Interface of Thought-Controlled “LUKE Arm” at Home
At age 16, Alexander “Avi” Davidson fell 35 feet from the top of a telephone pole, an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and led to the amputation of his left arm below the elbow. Today, 17 years later, Davidson is taking part in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial as the inaugural participant to bring home Utah’s Luke Skywalker-inspired bionic arm.
Powered by a direct nerve interface, called the BIOS Controller, the neural interface technology allows Davidson to control the bionic arm with his thoughts while restoring a sense of touch so that it feels similar to using his own arm. Within days of use, he was able to carry out routine tasks that many take for granted, from writing and playing cards to making a tuna sandwich and holding his wife’s hand.
“The ability to have a return of sensation to my previously dominant hand is a life-altering experience, as I never imagined feeling any part of that hand in my lifetime, let alone for it to feel so authentic,” Davidson said. “The ability to recognize how much pressure I’m putting on my wife’s hand and to feel hers back in mine is a wild idea to internalize. This technology has the potential to reconnect so many individuals to a reality they did not believe possible.”