Tampa Man Tests Thought-Controlled Bionic Arm

TAMPA, FL — A Tampa man has become the first participant to use a University of Utah bionic arm at home as part of a clinical trial testing the technology in everyday life.

Alexander “Avi” Davidson, a left-hand amputee, controls the prosthetic arm through a direct nerve interface known as the BIOS Controller. The technology allows him to operate the arm with his thoughts while providing a sense of touch.

Within days of receiving the device, Davidson was able to write, play cards, prepare a tuna sandwich, open a jar and hold 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.

Davidson lost his left arm below the elbow after falling 35 feet from a telephone pole at age 16. The accident also left him paralyzed from the waist down. Now 33, he works as a therapist and photographer and is also an activist.

“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,” said Davidson. “This technology has the potential to reconnect so many individuals to a reality they did not believe possible.”

The clinical trial will follow Davidson as he uses the arm at home for one year, with the possibility of an extension. Researchers will study whether the nerve-connected prosthesis improves daily life for people with limb loss.

The device is based on the commercially available LUKE Arm developed by DEKA and incorporates the BIOS direct nerve interface. Eight previous participants tested versions of the technology under supervision at the University of Utah, but Davidson is the first to use it independently at home.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the BIOS interface a Breakthrough Devices Program designation in March 2024. Researchers and BIOS are continuing to develop the technology toward possible commercialization.