Techno- Report #51 - Is This the Future of Robotic Legs?
Today I bring you another of the technological advances in the area of the bionic prosthesis, as I mentioned in the previous post the extremities are an essential part for our daily development, to lose one of them is to diminish the natural capacities to have a more comfortable life. I present BIOM T2 the first extreme bionic leg. Come with me to discover the history of this incredible invention.
The story begins when a 17-year-old boy named Hugh Herr who was passionate about climbing mountains suffers an accident where he lost both legs, this undoubtedly changed completely the flourishing life of the young man who from that moment had many questions regarding how his life would be and the most important thing was the regret of not being able to climb again.
This motivated Hugh Herr to study mechanical engineering with the sole purpose of being able to design a prosthesis that would allow him to have the capacity and be able to climb again. This was due to the fact that on many occasions he was provided with prostheses that did not fulfill the full functions of natural walking.
Step 20 developing the BIOM T2 project in his place of work at the MIT or Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where thanks to the new technological advances of the electronic age and nanotechnology could not only emulate the movement almost identical to a natural leg but could incorporate sensors to substantially improve these movements.
He is the director of biomechanical research at MIT Media Lab and within its multidisciplinary group are neurologists, biologists, experts in robotics and electronics, psychologists and even anthropologists. Hugh Herr holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.
Among the components of the sophisticated BIOM T2 bionic leg are powerful computers and sensors that emulate the muscular function and the natural movement of the legs when walking in different positions, this allows the person to perform which activity, run, jog, climb, swim, dance everything we normally do.
Currently, more than 900 patients have obtained the BIOM T2 by donations or buying the system that has 12 sensors and 3 computers and the key element the device that regulates the strength and mobility of the leg.
The computers incorporated to the BIOM T2 system have specialized programming in the reflexes of the spine that are in charge of the leg muscles. This means that due to pressure exerted on the BIOM T2 prosthesis, this information is sent to the computers to transmit to the leg how it should behave.
Among the materials with which this bionic leg is built are titanium, silicone, to give more realism between the parts of natural bone and flesh.
The main beneficiaries of these legs have been war veterans who have lost their legs by the action of anti-personnel mines, this has helped to change the moods and psychological states in many patients who were prostrate or hidden in their homes, giving new opportunities to lead a more pleasant life.
Another invention that will go down in history as one of the most significant advances of this new millennium, technology applied to human welfare and development, not to keep it concentrated in a device that ends up excluding it socially.
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