Ezra R. -- Bionic limbs have until recently been just a part of sci-fi fantasy. Now we may have a working bionic hand similar to that of Luke Skywalker’s from Star Wars in the near future. Well, maybe a leg rather than an arm; none the less, Craig Hutto, age 23, has been testing a new lower – limb prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University. This prosthetic limb allows amputees to walk without leg – dragging characteristics of conventional prosthetics. “A passive leg is always a step behind me. The Vanderbilt leg is only a split – second behind.” said Hutto. The bionic leg is what came from a seven year research team at the Vanderbilt Center for Intelligent Mechatronics. The prosthetic’s hardware has gone through seven versions and its electronics board has been redone 15 times. “As you add greater capability you are also adding greater liability,” said Michael Goldfarb (the director of VCIM) “Not only does the controller have to perform individual operations reliability, but has to run several operations at the same time and not get confused.”
This article was amazing! I like hearing about the awesome advancements of today’s technology, so this article obviously stuck out to me. As said in the article itself, this prosthetic proves that the right technology is available to make a prosthetic limb with powered knee and ankle joints. As such, I hope to see many improvements in said technologies in the approaching years. With this powered prosthetic completed, does this mean that some may finally get something to replace the real limb they lost effectively, or is this prosthetic just for Hutto until it can be “perfected.” Even more I hope that other technologies of greater importance are improved upon. With this I say that overall this article was good and very informational.Link: New 'bionic' leg gives amputees a natural gait
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