Bionic Leg Controlled by Brain Impulses

With a little help from science and technology, Zac Vawter, 32, can now successfully control movements of his bionic leg with the help of sensors that send multiple impulses from his nerves and muscles that are originally in the pathway of signals to our brain.

The patient was able to perform simple activities such as walking with his bionic leg as a response to various brain signals sent from neurons. The researchers were also successful in flexing the motorized leg's ankle and allowing an "almost normal pace"--something that is not typically possible when using prosthetic legs.

The Wall Street Journal notes that Vawter, a software engineer from Yelm, Washington, lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident several years ago. Now with his new bionic leg, Vawter admits that he's able to move much more smoothly. "Going upstairs with my normal prosthetic, my sound leg goes up first for every step," said Vawter, via The Wall Street Journal. "With this I go foot-over-foot up the stairs and down the stairs."

Researchers note that Vawter is the first person to ever be able to control a prosthetic with his brain signals alone.

Various experiments that involved 700 to 1,000 steps showed minor errors such as scuffing the foot in two percent of steps used with brain signals. However, Vawter notes that no serious errors resulted from any missteps he had with the leg.

Researcher Levi J. Hargrove from the Center for Bionic Medicine, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago comments on the accuracy of the device, noting that  "the current state-of-the-art devices involving both the knee and the ankle require pressing a remote-control button at, say, the bottom of a flight of stairs to rock and kick the leg back to make the step up."

Researchers have referred to the device as "bionic" because of its adaptability to easily interact with humans.

More information regarding the research can be found via the New England Journal of Medicine.