Bionic leg avoids the pitfalls of traditional passive prosthetics
A new lower-limb prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University allows amputees to walk without the leg-dragging gait characteristic of conventional artificial legs.
According to Vanderbilt, it is the first prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints that operate in unison and it comes equipped with sensors that monitor its user’s motion. Microprocessors are programmed to use this data to predict what the person is trying to do and to operate the device in ways that facilitate these movements.
‘When it’s working, it’s totally different from my current prosthetic,’ said Craig Hutto, the 23-year-old amputee who has been testing the leg. ‘A passive leg is always a step behind me. The Vanderbilt leg is only a split-second behind.’
The bionic leg is the result of a seven-year research effort at the Vanderbilt Center for Intelligent Mechatronics, directed by Michael Goldfarb.
‘With our latest model, we have validated our hypothesis that the right technology was available to make a lower-limb prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints,’ said Goldfarb. ‘Our device illustrates the progress we are making at integrating man and machine.’
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