New breakthrough in manufacturing artificial legs and hands for the disabled

The Computer Leg prosthesis, also known as C-Leg, costs up to 15,000 euros, produced by Otto Bock Company, can analyze the actual duration of thigh activity to affect the movement of the knee and eyes Prosthetic feet to help both move smoothly thanks to the micro-hydraulic jacks.

It is not known if there are enough healthy feet, the athlete with a disability who runs 100m Marlon Shirley will run as fast as possible. Losing his left leg in a traffic accident at age 9, but for the past three years, Shirley has been holding the 100m-run disabled world championship for a record of 10.97 seconds (world record). the 100m run for normal athletes is 9.77 seconds created by Jamaican athlete Asafa Powell in November 2005). The remarkable achievement that Marlon Shirley has achieved reflects the extremely important progress in the study of manufacturing new generation prostheses for the disabled.

According to Mr. Guillaume Boniface, Production Manager of the world's leading artificial limb company, Otto Bock, Germany,: 'The most important breakthrough is the continuous improvement of power as well as the minimization of all microphones. The handle is installed in prosthetic limbs. Moreover, we implanted prosthetic limbs programmed micro control processors to significantly improve the intelligence of prosthetics'.

Introduced in late 2005 for those who lost their legs (above the knee), Computer Leg prostheses, also known as C-Leg, cost up to 15,000 euros, produced by Otto Bock Company. It is possible to analyze the actual operation time of the thigh to influence the movement of the false knee and ankle to help both move smoothly thanks to the equipped with micro-hydraulic jacks.

Computer Leg prosthesis (Photo: mhmoandp.com)

The birth of the clever C-Leg prosthetic limb led Professor Domenico Ménager, the chief doctor of the Robert-Merle Rehabilitation Institute in Paris, to admire. He said: 'I am 56 years old and do not think there is a day when I will see the appearance of C-Leg prostheses. About three decades ago, a large one-story computer was needed to meet the computing speed of the processors installed inside C-Leg prostheses. The previous generation of prosthetic devices relied on a compressed air system. The effectiveness for the disabled is yes, but their steps are not very smooth and very difficult to step faster or comfortably up and down stairs'.

Christian Scherrer, who lost his left leg in a labor accident, once installed a prosthetic leg operated by a compressed air system, said: 'The hardest and most difficult thing is when going up and down stairs'. Since the beginning of 2006, when he was replaced with a smart C-Leg, Scherrer did not hide well, he admired: 'There is a difference between these two generations. When I wear the C-Leg, I can go fast or slow thanks to the new artificial knee system. I can go up and down stairs as fast or as I like, as if I were walking on a true path. Previously when using old prosthetics, I had to climb up and down stairs slowly like a toddler. Now when I bring C-Leg, I feel like I can run fast. '

Another advantage of the C-Leg prosthesis is that it can withstand a heavy force directly or indirectly . A person carrying a C-Leg prosthesis when jumping from a certain height to the ground can withstand a pressure of up to 150kg without any harm.

Of course, the C-Leg prosthetics also have weaknesses like the battery's power is only enough to supply the processor for 24 hours, then it takes 3 to 5 hours to charge the battery. again. C-Leg prosthesis is also allergic to water, because excessive water osmosis will damage the processor.

While the fabrication of prosthetic hands is relatively less complicated, it requires every movement to be highly accurate. To do so, electronic technology must play a very important role. Mr. Guillaume Boniface, said: 'Our latest generation prosthetic device is equipped with electronic sensors in the thumb to detect the drift of a hand-held object and issue commands to both hand squeeze again to grasp that object. At some point, we have reproduced the natural response to the hand. '

Currently, Otto Bock's researchers are testing a new technique for making artificial hands. It is the use of electronic signals, through remote control, to affect muscle activity. Where a person has a hand amputated to the rind, the activity of the muscles does not seem to work. However, the activity of these muscles is still affected by signals emitted by the nervous system. This signal is very weak, but still captured by electrodes installed on the skin. These signals will then be amplified to a designed electronic chip in the prosthetic hand to order the clenched hand to open or release an object to hold.

Mr. Guillaume Boniface said: 'This intelligent prosthetic can hold an item that weighs up to 10kg and can also sew clothes almost as complex as the human hands'.

Hoping to improve the relationship between biology and mechanics, some scientists are studying the direct connection of the activity of electronic sensors to the skin nervous system of the disabled.

Currently, American biologist Hugh Herr is focusing on studying this trend. As a man whose legs were paralyzed from a young age, Professor Hugh Herr predicted that only 5 to 7 years later, people with leg disabilities could walk normally thanks to artificial legs controlled by electronic sensors. connected to the nervous system. So far, Professor Hugh Herr's research program is being financed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs to create the second generation of intelligent prosthetic legs and hands, which operate entirely electronically through cooperation. dynamics of the human nervous system.

Although there are some technical obstacles, Professor Herr said that the second generation of fake artificial legs and hands will be put to use for the disabled at the latest in 2010. This is good news for the disabled in the world.