lower-limb amputee
The Utah Bionic Leg: A motorized prosthetic for lower-limb amputees
The Utah Bionic Leg is a motorized prosthetic for lower-limb amputees developed by University of Utah mechanical engineering associate professor Tommaso Lenzi and his students in the HGN Lab. Lenzi's Utah Bionic Leg uses motors, processors, and advanced artificial intelligence that all work together to give amputees more power to walk, stand-up, sit-down, and ascend and descend stairs and ramps. The extra power from the prosthesis makes these activities easier and less stressful for amputees, who normally need to over-use their upper body and intact leg to compensate for the lack of assistance from their prescribed prosthetics. The Utah Bionic Leg will help people with amputations, particularly elderly individuals, to walk much longer and attain new levels of mobility. "If you walk faster, it will walk faster for you and give you more energy. Or it can help you cross over obstacles," Lenzi says.