University of Utah’s LUKE Arm, a groundbreaking robotic prosthetic that restores touch and movement for amputees, was showcased during FOX’s pregame broadcast.

Shortly before kickoff at Sunday’s Big Game, fans got a peak at a project that University of Utah researchers have been working on for the better part of two decades: the LUKE Arm.

In the run-up to the national anthem, FOX Sports presented a video “Essay on America,” narrated by actor Brad Pitt, that highlighted how the nation “huddles up,” coming together to accomplish great things. One of those huddles featured researchers at the U fitting a patient with the advanced prosthetic arm.

Named after the prosthesis Luke Skywalker acquires at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, the LUKE Arm may look like movie magic but the benefits it promises are very real. Thanks to a direct nerve interface, the LUKE Arm can translate the user’s thoughts into motion. Even better, this system can send signals back to the brain, giving the user a new sense of life-like touch.

And while this long-running research project still has hurdles ahead of it, it has also recently taken important steps toward becoming a viable commercial product.

Read the full story on the College of Engineering’s website.