New Bionic Leg Predicts Your Every Move

Earnest Cavalli

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Jun 19, 2008
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New Bionic Leg Predicts Your Every Move



A new prosthetic leg in development at Vanderbilt University offers users a more natural gait thanks to computers, electric motors, and presumably psychic powers.

Over the past seven years, the Vanderbilt Center for Intelligent Mechatronics has been hard at work on a new prosthesis design that incorporates powered joints and computerized sensors into what has traditionally been a static system of hinges. The goal is to create an artificial leg capable of predicting its wearer's next step, based on muscle contraction and joint manipulation.

Think: MechWarrior-style battle armor, only for your missing leg, and with far fewer LRM-20s.

PhysOrg explains:

The device uses the latest advances in computer, sensor, electric motor and battery technology to give it bionic capabilities: It is the first prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints that operate in unison. It comes equipped with sensors that monitor its user's motion. It has microprocessors programmed to use this data to predict what the person is trying to do and 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 for several years. "A passive leg is always a step behind me. The Vanderbilt leg is only a split-second behind."

While it won't allow you to fend off the Ghost Bear Clan, the new leg does drastically improve the quality of life for its users.

PhysOrg again explains:

The Vanderbilt prosthesis is designed for daily life. It makes it substantially easier for an amputee to walk, sit, stand, and go up and down stairs and ramps. Studies have shown that users equipped with the device naturally walk 25 percent faster on level surfaces than when they use passive lower-limb prosthetics. That is because it takes users 30 to 40 percent less of their own energy to operate.

"Going up and down slopes is one of the hardest things to do with a conventional leg," said Hutto. "So I have to be conscious of where I go because I can get very tired walking up and down slopes. But that won't be a problem with the powered leg because it goes up and down slopes almost like a natural leg."

The above examples of how this new limb can benefit people are impressive, but they are merely an extrapolation of what prostheses already do. What's really impressive about the Vanderbilt leg is what it exclusively can offer wearers. An "anti-stumble routine" for instance.

According to its creators, if a wearer stumbles while walking on the limb, the leg will notice this, correct its position in relation to environmental obstacles, and essentially "catch" the person before they fall.

All of this in a device that weighs only nine pounds.

The Center for Intelligent Mechatronics is also hard at work on a prosthetic arm with these same predictive capabilities, though given the wide range of utility the human arm has, a finished model is still a ways off.

Obviously this is great news for amputees and anyone else who ever finds themselves bereft of a leg, but what of those of us cursed with a full complement of fleshy, unintelligent limbs? My leg is pretty cool, I guess, but it's never once attempted to stop me from falling on my head. At best it might throw some totally sweet spinkicks, but compared to this self-correcting prosthesis human biology is such a let down.

Source: PhysOrg [http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-08-bionic-leg-amputees-natural-gait.html]

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bbad89

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Deus Ex Deus Ex Deus Ex Deus Ex Deus Ex.
OT: That's pretty darn sweet, especially considering that soon what we make will be better than what we were born with.
 

monkey-skitz 91

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this will be great if they can commercialise it in the near future, my stepdad had both of his legs amputated above the knee two years ago, so this is really interesting to me.
 

IamQ

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edy131 said:
That thing will cost an arm and a leg
*claps* Brilliant.

OT: Now we'll just have to wait until the reports come of crippled people, beating the shit of their old bullies with their new ultra-lazor-super-awesome-metal-fists.
 

ActualOvaltine

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My dad had a surgery done at Vanderbilt where they rebuilt his lower spine with titanium after multiple failed surgeries that left him in chronic pain and always hunched over. After the ten hour surgery he was 4 inches taller and could stand upright. Vanderbilt does some amazing things.
 

AzureRaven

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Earnest Cavalli said:
Think: MechWarrior-style battle armor, only for your missing leg, and with far fewer LRM-20s.
But I like LRM 20s. How about some CSTRK 6 then? D:

OT: In all seriousness though, this is pretty awesome. I couldn't imagine losing a limb, it's nice to know they're helping make such a horrible disability more bearable.
 

Dalek Caan

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Feb 12, 2011
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Looks like its:

*Puts on Sunglasses*

A certified Mind reader.

This week is CSI: Miami week. Horatio Cane jokes all week long. Hope technology like this continues to move forward. In the future I bet we will have mech-legs that can't be told apart from actual legs.
 

Evilsanta

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Come back to me when I it has built in jet boost.

OT: Well that is awesome in so many ways.
 

Hamster at Dawn

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Mar 19, 2008
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Hmm, should I chop off my leg now and get a badass bionic one or wait for nanotech that can make my existing leg stronger? Decisions, decisions...
 

Beryl77

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This is great for all people who've lost a limb and I hope that the technology makes quick advances.
As for me, I'll be interested when they manage to make Prosthetics which have improved capabilities compared to my fleshy body parts. I wouldn't say no to enhanced eyesight or a super strong arm and maybe jetpacks instead of my buttocks, yeah that would be awesome.
 

Ruedyn

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Hamster at Dawn said:
Hmm, should I chop off my leg now and get a badass bionic one or wait for nanotech that can make my existing leg stronger? Decisions, decisions...
Wait for nano tech. By then if it's not that great, the robo leg will be even more improved =D

OT kind of: If we can make parts like this, when can we expect full robots?