Prosthetics

Scientists from the EPFL research institute are developing new technology, in which a computer takes over certain functions of prosthetic hands.

A Purdue University team has developed a special type of glove that gives a prosthetic hand some of the sensory capabilities of a human hand.

The latest effort to make use of this throw-away resource uses waste plastic water bottles to make sockets for prosthetic limbs.

​Tails are used throughout the animal kingdom to help with balance or to grip objects. Humans don't have such a thing, so scientists at the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design have built one to improve the agility of wearers.​

Scientists at Linköping University have developed an artificial muscle that runs off of glucose and oxygen like its organic counterpart. Made of a special polymer, the new plastic muscles open the promise of implantable artificial muscles that can be powered by like living organs.

MIT has developed an inexpensive sensor glove​ designed to enable artificial intelligence to figure out how humans identify objects by touch.

​​In news that will do little to dampen fears of a robot apocalypse, researchers have built a robo-limb that can teach itself to walk. It's hoped the research will open up new possibilities in the fields of dynamic prosthetics and robots that learn on the fly in unfamiliar environments. ​

A collaboration working under the EU-funded DeTOP project has developed a new hand prosthesis that reads signals direct from an amputee's nerves and muscles via electrodes implanted in the patient's arm.

Researchers have developed a prosthetic joint that connects directly to the forearm bones of an amputee, allowing them to use a prosthesis with a wrist-like rotary movement. Use of the new joint could dramatically improve the quality of life for amputees.

​Ordinarily, prosthetic legs have ankle joints that are passive, moving only in response to pressure exerted by the user. As a result, walking up stairs or over uneven ground can be difficult. A new "smart" prosthetic ankle, however, adjusts its foot angle according to what the user is doing.

​Researchers have developed an “e-dermis” or electronic skin that could be applied to a prosthetic hand to give the wearer a sense of touch. By using electronic sensors that mimic the nerve endings in the body, the skin can convey both the senses of touch and of pain.

​Although artificial hips allow many people to remain mobile, the things do wear out after a while, often requiring replacement surgeries. The need for such operations may soon become less frequent, however, thanks to research being conducted at the University of Arkansas.