Scientists have developed a prosthetic leg controlled by the human brain which could make it easier for amputees to get up and down stairs. The ground-breaking new device allows patients to directly control their prosthetic using their thoughts. The device records signals from surgically preserved muscles which are carefully monitored and converted into controls for a robotic ankle. In a trial of 14 amputees, researchers from MIT found that the leg created a more natural gate, improved stability on uneven terrain, and a 41% increase in speed. Researchers now hope that a commercial version of the leg will be available within as little as 5 years. In traditional below-the-knee applications the muscles that normally control the foot are wrapped around the severed limb to create a soft padding. However, this process severs the normal connection between “antagonistic” pairs of pushing and pulling muscles in the leg. The new device requires patients to undergo a new form of below-the-knee amputation surgery, called agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI). The ends of the muscles are connected together so that they can still communicate with each other within the residual limb.
Incredible Bionic Leg Is Controlled By Human Thoughts
Scientists have developed a prosthetic leg controlled by the human brain which could make it easier for amputees to get up and down stairs. The ground-breaking new device allows patients to directly control their prosthetic using their thoughts. The device records signals from surgically preserved muscles which are carefully monitored and converted into controls for a robotic ankle. In a trial of 14 amputees, researchers from MIT found that the leg created a more natural gate, improved stability on uneven terrain, and a 41% increase in speed. Researchers now hope that a commercial version of the leg will be available within as little as 5 years. In traditional below-the-knee applications the muscles that normally control the foot are wrapped around the severed limb to create a soft padding. However, this process severs the normal connection between “antagonistic” pairs of pushing and pulling muscles in the leg. The new device requires patients to undergo a new form of below-the-knee amputation surgery, called agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI). The ends of the muscles are connected together so that they can still communicate with each other within the residual limb.