Ben Preiss
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 Iraqi Vet Goes Bionic Thanks to MIT Garth Stewart, 24, who lost his left leg below the knee in an explosion, received the prototype device that is designed to reduce fatigue, improve balance and provide amputees with a more fluid gait. This is just another example of Biomechanical engineers designing devices help turn return as much of amputees’ former abilities as possible.  An Army veteran who lost part of his leg in Iraq walked with more spring in his step Monday as he unveiled the world's first robotic ankle -- an important advance for lower-limb amputees that was developed by a team at MIT. Garth Stewart, 24, who lost his left leg below the knee in an explosion in Iraq, demonstrated the new powered ankle-foot prosthesis during a ceremony at the Providence, R.I., Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Stewart walked in the device, which, unlike any other, propels users forward using tendon-like springs and an electric motor. It could become commercially available as early as the summer of 2008.
Because conventional prostheses only provide a passive spring response during walking, they force the amputee to have an unnatural gait and typically to expend some 30 percent more energy on walking than a non-amputee. The new ankle is light, flexible, and -- most importantly -- generates energy for walking beyond that which can be released from a spring alone.
(web.mit.edu)References: technovelgy, web.mit.edu Comment: on Robotic Legs For Amputees |
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