The bionic limb uses a computer interface that amplifies nerve signals from muscles in the remaining part of the leg and allows the wearer to move the prosthesis with their own thoughts and natural reflexes. In a clinical trial involving 14 people, participants with this interface were able to walk 41% faster than were those with standard robotic legs. They also had better balance and ability to change their speed, climb stairs and step over obstacles. The results were published today in Nature Medicine1. 'This is the first study that demonstrates natural gait patterns with a full neural modulation where the person's brain is 100% in command of the bionic prosthesis, not a robotic algorithm,' said study co-author Hugh Herr, a biophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, at a press conference announcing the findings. Herr had both of his legs amputated after being caught in a blizzard while ice climbing on New Hampshire's Mount Washington in 1982. He says...
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