The Dawn of Powered Lower-limb Prostheses

During the last decade, the O&P industry has enjoyed a technological renaissance. As technologies improve and become more reliable, their adoption becomes more widespread. For example, the microprocessor regulation of prosthetic knees, once a novel and emerging technology, has largely been embraced as the standard of care in transfemoral prosthetics. More recently, the microprocessor regulation of prosthetic foot and ankle mechanisms has been introduced and is now being refined, with growing application into prosthetic care. As the use of “intelligent” prostheses that are capable of altering their responses to real-time situational needs becomes more common, the next logical step in this progression is the introduction of externally powered prostheses that go beyond the variable dampening characteristics of today’s microprocessor control by generating their own powered movements. This article reviews the most commonly described applications of such powered prostheses in current literature.