Researchers have shown a combination of special surgery and a bionic limb can enhance walking speed in some amputees by 40 percent, within the range of able-bodied individuals.
"We're at a point in history where the convergence of surgical and regenerative technologies with novel electromechanical interfaces is going to lead to a step function in clinical care for so many patients around the world," Herr told reporters before his team's paper was published in the The former is created surgically by connecting agonist-antagonist muscle pairs – which together move a joint one way or another – with sensing electrodes. Surgically built within the muscle and tissue left after amputation – technically known as the residuum – the muscle pairs control the prosthetic limb, but also convey feedback about the position and movement of the artificial appendage. The researchers said the surgery could be performed during or sometime after an amputation procedure.
The research involved a clinical trial of 14 participants with below-the-knee amputation of one leg. All used a bionic prosthetic leg, but only seven also had the neuroprosthetic interface procedure.
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