The Latest Bionic Limbs technologies

Bionic and Prosthetic Technologies

Artificial limbs have existed for years, from olden wooden peg legs (think pirates) to the clunky prosthetic Terry Fox used on his cross-country fundraiser run. They were heavy and stiff, but fast-forward into the 21st century, we have ultra-light limbs made out of carbon fiber and titanium that cost up to a cool $45,000, and we now have bionic legs that can be controlled with your mind.

Gudmundur Olafsson lost his lower leg as a child when he was hit by a truck, but now he has been fitted with a modified robot foot made by the Iceland based company Ossur, which he has been using daily for more than a year that can move on command like a real foot. A minimally invasive 15-minute long surgery was performed to implant sensors in his residual limb. The star of the prosthesis is the robot ankle, which moves based on which sensor picks up an impulse in local muscle tissue. If Gudmundur flexes his calves, the robot foot mirrors him.

“It’s really surreal,” he says. “The first time, to be honest, I started to cry. You are moving the ankle, and I basically haven’t had one in 11 years.” It allows him to redistribute his weight evenly, and to stave off muscle atrophy that is common in amputees. No one’s sure when’s it’s going to come out, or how much it would cost, but fully-functioning minimally-invasive robot legs would give many people a new lease of life, and maybe in 50 years we would be able to swap our puny flesh arms for carbon-fibre robot arms.
Bionics & Prosthetics, Inc. is a leader in bionic and prosthetic technologies, providing only the latest innovations to clientele. By working with manufacturers, we have direct access to the most progressive advancements on the market. These components are tools for clients to reach their potential, stay active, and achieve their goals.

Prosthetists and assistants are involved in the research and development of bionics and prosthetics. As a result, clients and amputee staff members are often asked to beta-test new components. Next Step is privileged to demonstrate these technologies for medical personnel as well as our staff, clients, and communities.

Prosthetic Socket Interface Designs

Next Step believes that prosthetic components are only as effective as the fit of a socket interface. The socket is the most important part of the prosthesis, since it creates an interface between the residual limb and the prosthetic device. We sometimes make multiple clear check sockets and try different interface methods to guarantee that a proper fit is achieved during the prosthetic process.

Our prosthetists incorporate various socket designs to accommodate the shape and size of an individual’s limb. These include, but are not limited to, suction sockets, elevated vacuum systems, pin and lanyard suspensions, flexible sockets, custom liners, and lock-and-pin systems. A Next Step prosthetist determines which method is best for each client at the evaluation appointment.

Is also a certified Hi-Fidelity Interface (HiFi) provider. The HiFi Interface, developed by biodesigns in California, is a revolutionary upper- and lower-extremity socket design that gives amputees an intimate socket fit for increased prosthetic functionality. This interface features a patent-pending plastic interface for soft tissue release. It provides alternating areas of compression and relief to bring the user increased comfort and stability.

High-Definition Silicone Covers

In addition to other cover and skin options available in the on-site fabrication labs, Next Step offers high-definition silicone covers. These lifelike covers, or cosmeses, are created through our registered worldwide partnership with Dorset Orthopaedic in England. To prepare for the covering, a finished prosthesis is custom-molded in an intricate shaping process with our technicians, then color-matched to the amputee’s exact skin tone. Once the client is satisfied with the results, the cosmesis is crafted in England to feel and look realistic, down to individual freckles.

Bionic Technology in Prosthetics

Many believe that bionic technology is the wave of the future, but at Next Step, we are confident that the future is already here. Though other descriptions exist within the prosthetic industry, Next Step defines bionics as powered motion with a motor and real-time adjustment capability.

These components astound many with their lifelike functionality and ability to give feedback to the user. We are proud to offer such dynamic components to the amputees we serve. Additionally, we have access to sophisticated prosthetic devices that manufacturers and other prosthetic providers consider bionic.

While there are many bionic and non-bionic prosthetic components to suit a variety of needs, not everyone is a candidate for the most advanced devices and not every insurance plan provides coverage. We encourage clients to contact us for more information and talk with their prosthetists about what is right for them.

Bionic Components for a Prosthesis

The BiOM Ankle System from iWalk is designed to increase mobility with revolutionary propulsion technology, while reducing energy demands and stress on the body.
The Power Knee from Ossur is a motor-powered prosthetic knee that benefits the user with symmetry, strength, and endurance.
The Proprio Foot from Ossur gives heightened stability and mobility to amputees through lifelike powered-ankle motion.
The Symbionic Leg from Ossur combines the Proprio powered ankle and the Rheo microprocessor knee to create a bionic leg system.
The iLimb from Touch Bionics appears and functions like a biological hand, featuring natural joints as well as automated grip patterns and gestures.
The Bebionic from Steeper is an advanced myoelectric prosthetic hand that encourages a lifestyle of independence for the user.
The Boston Digital Arm System from Liberating Technologies supplies the necessary torque for a variety of tasks, with on-board software for control.
Non-Bionic Prosthetic Technology

The C-Leg from Otto Bock, the original completely microprocessor-controlled knee, has become a standard device in prosthetic care.
The Genium from Otto Bock is a newer development in microprocessor technology, and this knee unit is meant for high-activity amputees.
The Helix 3D Hip from Otto Bock incorporates revolutionary technology for a natural walking pattern by mirroring pelvic rotation.
The Rheo Knee from Ossur is a sophisticated prosthetic knee that allows for natural movement and functionality during any activity.
The Orion Knee from Endolite is a microprocessor knee with on-board programming and responsive technology to achieve a relaxed gait.

Conventional Prosthetic Components

There are a variety of conventional upper-extremity and lower-extremity products available to Next Step clients and prosthetists. We offer these prosthetic components for shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees, ankles, feet, liners, sleeves, socks, sheaths, and other supplies. Regardless of the technology employed, each item works in conjunction with a custom-made socket to achieve optimal prosthetic fit and function for the amputee.

Faster? Stronger? More powerful? Bionic bodies—and what they may be capable of—have captivated the human mind for centuries. From the bumbling Inspector Gadget to the near‐indestructible Terminator, the idea of using technology to build a ‘better human’ has resulted in continuous technological advances.

The term ‘bionics’ was first used in the 1960s. It combines the prefix ‘bio’—meaning life—with the ‘nics’ of electronics. Bionics is the study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms.

Artificial limbs, or prostheses, are used to replace a missing body part which may have been lost due to trauma, disease or congenital defect. The type of prosthesis a person can use is dependent on the individual, including the cause of amputation or limb loss, and the location of the missing extremity.

Basic artificial limbs have been used since 600 BC. Wooden legs, metal arms, hooks for hands—while these primitive replacements gave the wearer back some semblance of movement or function, they were often uncomfortable, difficult to use, had poor functionality and were cosmetically unattractive.

Today, researchers are striving to develop lighter, smaller, better‐controlled, more lifelike and affordable options. What’s different about the new generation of prosthetic limbs is their union with bionic technology, and the way they combine fields of study as diverse as electronics, biotechnology, hydraulics, computing, medicine, nanotechnology and prosthetics. Technically, the field is known as biomechatronics, an applied interdisciplinary science that works to integrate mechanical elements and devices with biological organisms such as human muscles, bones, and the nervous systems.

Another bionic limb breakthrough is known as ‘osseointegration’ (OI). Derived from the Greek ‘osteon’, meaning bone, and the Latin ‘integrare’, which means to make whole, the process involves creating direct contact between living bone and the surface of a synthetic—often titanium‐based—implant.

The procedure was first performed in 1994, and uses a skeletally integrated titanium implant, connected through an opening (stoma) in the residual limb to an external prosthetic limb. The direct connection between the prosthesis and bone has several advantages:

It provides greater stability and control, and can reduce the amount of energy expended.
It does not require suction for suspension, which makes it easier and more comfortable for the user.
The weight‐bearing is brought back to the femur, hip joint, tibia or other bone, reducing the possibility of degeneration and atrophy that can accompany traditional prostheses.
Traditionally, the procedure requires two operations. The first involves the insertion of titanium implants into the bone and, often, extensive soft-tissue revision. The second stage, around six to eight weeks later, includes the refinement of the stoma and the attachment of the hardware that connects the implant to the external prosthetic leg. Gradually, bone and muscle begin to grow around the implanted titanium on the bone end, creating a functional bionic leg. The external prosthesis can be easily attached and removed from the abutment within a few seconds. Recently, Australia‐based surgeon Associate Professor Munjed Al Muderis has been able to perform the surgery in a single operation.

Because the prosthesis is attached directly to the bone, it has a greater range of movement, control and, in some cases, has allowed wearers to distinguish tactile difference between surfaces (such as carpet versus tiles) via osseoperception.

Scanning electron micrograph image of bone-forming cells crawling over monetite crystals.Monetite crystals (CaHPO4) can be used with titanium to make it more compatible with the body. Image source: Wellcome Images / Flickr.
Gait-training, strengthening and rehabilitation are all important parts of the pre and post‐surgery procedure. Many of the recipients of the new technology have been up and walking independently within weeks of the operation, and have been able to regain much of their quality of life.

A continuing development in the field of OI is the introduction of products that use a porous metal construction, such as titanium foam. Traditional OI designs intended for the femur were not successful when applied to the tibia as the proximal tibial bone structure is highly spongy.However, with the development of titanium foam technology the application of OI has now been expanded to transtibial amputees. Associate Professor Al Muderis has pioneered a 3D-printed foam surface implant which is successfully used in transtibial amputees. These 3D-printed metal foams may promote and contribute to bone infiltration and the formation and growth of vascular systems within the defined area. In this way, the porous, bone‐like metal foam allows osteoblast activity to begin.