"World's most intelligent prosthetic leg" nominated for MacRobert Award

The prosthetic limb, known as the Linx, is one of three finalists for the £50,000 prize, awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The Linx, developed by Basingstoke-based prosthetics specialist Blatchford, is the first limb to be equipped with integrated robotic control of the knee and foot, in which the two joints work together in the same way as a human leg.

An array of sensors across the knee and ankle continuously collect data on their surrounding environment, and the terrain on which the wearer is walking or standing.

A central processor collects this information and uses specially developed software, called Mi² (Motion integrated intelligence), to adapt the position of the knee and ankle in response, according to Prof Sayeed Zahedi, technical director at Blatchford.

“We use a whole array of sensors to sense the environment, whether the person is standing, sitting, walking on the flat, going up or down a ramp, or up or down stairs,” he said. “We can then use information from those sensors that are measuring the ankle function to instruct the knee, and use the knee sensors to instruct the ankle, so there is a continuous dialogue between the two joints.”