I had not written for a long time about one of my favorite topics: bionic limbs. Fortunately this morning I found an interesting story that also touched me in a particular way, since the engineers who have developed this idea live in my city, Brussels.
Indeed, research engineers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, have developed a new active transtibial prosthesis that mimics the natural movement of the ankle and using energy efficiently. Instead of using powerful engines which start and stop at every step, the system activates an electric motor continuously to continuous stretch a rubber band, which in turn is used by the foot as a source of motive power.
By reducing the total energy requirement of the prosthesis, you can use smaller batteries, reducing the overall weight of the device. Moreover, the smaller engines, quieter and more efficient can also simplify the design and implementation.
Check out the video, it's amazing how well it resembles the motion of an actual foot!
White Paper on AMP-Foot 2.0: Intact Mimicking Behavior with a Powered Ankle Prosthesis Transtibial
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