Bionic Prosthetic Leg With A Neural Interface Has Been Created In The USA

Professor Hugh Herr has developed new neural interfaces that transmit signals from muscle remnants. This made it possible to significantly speed up movement on uneven surfaces.

Scientists from the USA have created a bionic prosthetic leg that can be controlled solely by the nervous system. A study published in the journal Nature Medicine found that seven subjects increased their walking speed by 41% compared to conventional prostheses.

With the help of special surgical intervention during the amputation of a limb, an interface is created on the antagonist muscles for reading impulses based on their contraction. Also, the operation must include maintaining the function of these muscles, which will likely require additional surgical actions to secure the muscles on the side of the amputation. These signals are then read by a prosthetic lower leg, which ends in a mechanical foot with several degrees of freedom. The controller decodes signals from antagonist muscles and sends them to the ankle servos, making the patient’s walking more natural.

Nerve signals coming to the muscles above the level of amputation correspond to the person’s intentions to move the missing (phantom) limb. Work with seven patients showed that in all cases the AMI (agonist-antagonist myoneural interface) immediately showed its best qualities, making the patient’s gait more natural and simpler, and also reducing post-traumatic pain in the amputated parts of the limbs.

So far, the tests have been carried out on 14 people who had one of their legs amputated, but the results are already promising.