AMPUTEES could walk normally again with “miraculous” bionic legs that are so good the inventor plans to fit them to his own body. Dr Hugh Herr, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lost both feet after a horror rock climbing accident in 1982. He has now developed what he believes is the best ever “neuroprosthetic interface” that allows patients to control a prosthetic leg with nerve signals from their remaining leg muscle.
It fits below the knee and moves like a foot to make walking faster and easier. A study found patients strolled up to 41 per cent faster than with standard prosthetics – equal to a normal walking speed. It also significantly improved their technique walking on slopes, stairs and past obstacles.
The limb feels natural and moves naturally without conscious thought Dr Herr said: “The brain is so adaptive and so smart it can figure out how to control a very complex prosthesis with just a small amount of information. “When the participants think, those actions are recorded from the muscles and that’s reflected in the movements in the prosthesis. “Then when the prosthesis moves the people feel the movement as a natural sensation.
“Here, with just a small fraction of perception, a person is able to walk at normal speeds. “It is quite miraculous. “The patients with this interface are able to move really without thinking about it.
“Even though their limb is made of titanium and silicone, it feels natural and moves naturally witho.
