Posed portrait of Jacob George
Jacob A. George, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

In 2019, Jacob George and fellow researchers at the U made waves with the “LUKE Arm” (named after the robotic hand given to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back), a prosthetic arm that has the ability to feel objects by transmitting the appropriate signals to the brain. Not only can the arm feel, but it can be controlled by the user’s thoughts.

In the 2023 Distinguished Gould Lecture, George will highlight this technology and the advances that have taken place since their breakthrough technology was first announced — including translation into bionic exoskeletons to aid individuals with paralysis and into smartwatches to allow anyone to seamlessly control smart devices and augmented reality by thought.

The Gould Lecture is free and open to the public, and will take place on Sept. 13th from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Marriott Library. For more information, click here.