Electric Wheelchair Future Technology

Otto Bock HealthCare, a global manufacturer of prosthetic components began developing a prosthetic knee system in 2006. Project started when company was awarded a three-year $1 million contract to develop a leg that will allow US Army service members to stay on active duty if they choose to, and Otto Bock seem like logical choice, as their C-LEG product was ahead of the competition in this field.

The current C-Leg allows users a choice between two operating modes: one for walking and another for bicycling (or any other preprogrammed activity). The "problem" is switching between modes, as the wearer has to swing the leg forward in a jerky fashion. The new C-LEG will support up to 10 programmable modes, switchable through a small remote control about the size of a car alarm remote. Reprogramming a mode with another special activity will still require a visit to a technician…

The new C-LEG project is currently in the prototype stage, and if there will be no bigger technical problems, the new prosthesis should be available to US army service members in 2009, which means that in 2010 or at most a year after, it will be also available on free market. The new, much improved system will cost the same, as current C-LEG offer - approximately $30.000. C-LEG is special because it is hydraulic prosthetic leg based on technology similar to Segway… C-LEG's CPU brain automatically adapts to changes of speed and direction, and can be preprogrammed into up to 10 switchable modes to enable various sports activities, including cycling, running, natural driving other programmable activities that require different leg actions to normal walking and stair climbing.

Prosthetics in itself is a science, as it tries to mimic the complex natural function of lost limbs. But results on other hand are truly life-altering difference for amputees. Nowhere is this difference more strongly felt than in the field of artificial legs that allows amputees to get out of their wheelchairs, electric wheelchair, powerchairs… And more importantly allow them to return back to a level of mobility that lets them blend back in into ordinary life.

The latest innovation of advanced prosthetics includes new microchip-controlled artificial knee joint, that allows for never before seen level of freedom of movement for above-knee amputees. Microprocessor interprets users’s movements and anticipate their actions, allowing motion changes in real time. This smart system, actuated through the leg’s hydraulic movement capabilities, will give users greater flexibility to change speed or direction without sacrificing stability. The whole experience makes for a much more natural experience which requires minimum concentration.

At the hearth of new system are more sensors, a faster flash based hard drive (SSD), more memory, which together will provide smooth automatic transitions between common movements such as level-ground walking, climbing stairs and running. It also will give wearers the ability to turn around while walking, or walk backward in one fluid movement, something that is not possible with the current C-LEG. Other improvement is also automatically changing between walking speeds and gaits.

Current challenges are stretching unit’s battery life to 50 hours on one charge and salt-water resistant, which are both requirements to support military use. Many on-field testings of new prototype C-LEG are already going on, and one of the first test users, Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, a pilot at US Air Force is the first above-the-knee amputee to return to active duty as a pilot.
Read more at http://www.ottobock.com

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