Walk

If the Jurassic Park movies are to be believed, Tyrannosaurus rex spent a lot of time quickly chasing down its prey. According to a new study, though, its legs were probably designed more for endurance than for speed.

Six years ago, we first heard about tiny two-legged "bio-bots" that used spinal muscle tissue to walk. Well, they've now received a big upgrade, in the form of spinal cord tissue that essentially makes them self-powered.

Insects rapidly transition between walking gaits, in response to external stimuli. Scientists have now created a robot that does the same thing, utilizing an artificial neural network – the tech might ultimately find use in better prostheses.

While some powered exoskeletons give able-bodied users "superstrength," others are designed simply to let physically-challenged people move about normally. A new version of the latter is said to be much lighter and more user-responsive than others on the market.

Gait speed, or the pace at which a person walks, has been effectively used as a biomarker for health in older subjects. A new study is now suggesting that gait speed may be an effective measure of biological aging for someone in their 40s.

Clinicians soon may be able to accurately diagnose what kind of dementia patients are suffering from by studying their unique walking patterns.

According to a new study, the rolling iStride Device has been shown to improve the gait of stroke victims.

Scientists have added tactile sensors to a prosthetic leg, allowing users to walk with much less effort.

​If you're making a 2-mm-long walking robot, it pretty much goes without saying that the thing won't be able to carry much of a battery. That's why Georgia Tech's new "micro-bristle-bots" are instead propelled by vibrations. And someday, they may actually be capable of moving within the human body.

​When most of us walk over uneven ground, our feet respond to the dips and humps by flexing the ankle and moving the toes. Prosthetic feet typically don't do so, often resulting in falls. An experimental new model, however, uses a tripod-like assembly to react more like a real foot.

​If someone is recovering from an injury that reduces their mobility, it's not uncommon for them to walk with a cane throughout the day, and to periodically get their progress checked by a rehabilitative therapist. A new "smart" cane, however, could allow them to do both things at once.

​When someone gets a hip replaced, it's not uncommon for that leg to subsequently be a little longer or shorter than it was before. Thanks to a new system developed by German scientists, however, that may soon no longer be the case.