Got one foot stuck in the dial-up era?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Current prosthetics are like flip phones – clunky, slow, and plasticky.
What’s the next big thing?
Ask Hugh Herr and team from MIT! Old prosthetic legs are socket based. Herr’s version? Thigh bone anchored and muscle controlled!
Implanted electrodes in those muscles track the patient’s nerve signals. Now the knee bends in sync with the users’ intentions — like a natural joint!
In tests, two volunteers walked faster, climbed stairs, and dodged obstacles more smoothly than with standard prosthetics. They also felt more empowered by their new limbs.
Boy! Talk about a leg up! Ain’t that a kick in the tuchus?
Reference: Shu, T., Levine, D., Yeon, S. H., Chun, E., Shallal, C. C., McCullough, J., … & Herr, H. (2025). Tissue-integrated bionic knee restores versatile legged movement after amputation. Science, 389(6756), eadv3223.