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MIT Media Lab
As we work to improve prosthetic care in the US and in countries around the world, we are committed to learning from our most valuable asse…
Powered ankle prostheses have been proven to improve the walking economy of transtibial amputees although these powered systems are usually…
Amputation, muscle weakness, and nerve damage can make it difficult to perform simple daily tasks. In this project, we are developing a mi…
Acquisition of surface electromyography (sEMG) from a person with an amputated lower extremity (LE) during prosthesis-assisted walking rema…
As developers of prosthetic technology, we’re dedicated to understanding the challenges that people with limb loss face, not just after amp…
Designed for mass manufacture and rapid deployment, we are building an open hardware, reusable, sterilizable, modular, and filter-media agn…
The Biomechatronics group recently pioneered a new type of amputation surgery, the AMI amputation, that allows patients to use a bionic pro…
During the gait cycle, the human ankle complex serves as a primary power generator while simultaneously stabilizing the entire limb. These …
Biplanar fluoroscopy (BiFlo) enables three-dimensional bone kinematics analysis using x-ray videos and bone geometry from segmented CT. Hin…
Three-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (3D-DIC) is a non-contact optical-numerical technique for evaluating the dynamic mechanica…
Humans can accurately sense the position, speed, and torque of their limbs, even with their eyes shut. This sense, known as proprioception,…
The design of next-generation bionic ankles and knees aims to improve bionic actuators on all metrics: range of motion, power density, band…
Lower extremity amputation leads to limitations of biological function of individuals, which leads to challenges remaining physically activ…
This research track focuses on the use of computational (and experimental) techniques to understand the biomechanical behavior of human tis…
Mechanical, electrical, and dynamic control systems recreate biological behavior with synthetic hardware.
Nerve-Muscle Graft Chamber and micro-channel arrays tor interface to peripheral nerves for prosthesis control. This research effort co…
Local changes in the volume, shape, and mechanical properties of the residual limb can be caused by adjacent joint motion, muscle activatio…
Optogenetic techniques have recently been applied to peripheral nerves as a scientific tool with the translatable goal…
Lower-extremity amputation surgery has not seen significant change since the Civil War. This research is focused on the development of nove…
Recent advancements in orthopedic implants have made way for a new generation of bionic limbs that attach directly to the skeleton. Leverag…
Although there have been great advances in the control of lower extremity prostheses, transitioning between terrains such as ramps or stair…
This project aims to enable fast prototyping of a multi-axis and multi-joint active prosthesis by developing a new modular electronics syst…
The human ankle provides a significant amount of net positive work during the stance period of walking, especially at moderate to fast walk…
Recent advances in artificial limbs have resulted in the provision of powered ankle and knee function for lower extremity amputees and powe…
Lower-extremity amputees face a series of potentially serious post-operative complications. Among these are increased risk of further amput…
This project focuses on giving transtibial amputees volitional control over their prostheses by combining electromyographic (EMG) activity …
Augmentation of human locomotion has proved an elusive goal. Natural human walking is extremely efficient, and the complex articulation of …
Current unmotorized prostheses do not provide adequate energy return during late stance to improve level-ground locomotion. Robotic prosthe…
Using biologically inspired design principles, a biomimetic robotic knee prosthesis is proposed that uses a clutchable series-elastic actua…
A better understanding of the biomechanics of human tissue allows for better attachment of load-bearing objects to people. Think of shoes, …
Motivated by applications in rehabilitation and robotics, we are developing methodologies to control muscle-actuated systems via electrical…
Human walking neuromechanical models show how each muscle works during normal, level-ground walking. They are mainly modeled with clutches …
We are studying the mechanical behavior of leg muscles and tendons during human walking in order to motivate the design of power-efficient …