B*N*S*N3

From War on Terror News:

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bionic Foot Puts the Spring Back in one Veterans' Step

Randy Tipton served three tours in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq with the Special Forces returning home safely only to have his left foot amputated in a motorcycle/car accident.

In 2005, Tipton retired from the Army. He held the rank of Sergeant First Class. While riding his motorcycle, Tipton was hit by a car, the driver had been talking on his cell phone. Tipton lost his leg as a result of that accident.

On Wednesday, February 16th, Tipton gave a demonstration of just how nicely the iWalk PowerFoot BiOM worked for him, as he walked down a hallway at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He is able to walk without a noticeable limp.

The iWalk PowerFoot BiOM uses microprocessors, sensors, a motor and a carbon-fiber spring all designed to help replace the action of the amputee's missing Achilles' tendon, ankle and calf muscle. Even better, the bionic foot can be adjusted by the user on a Droid smart phone, using Bluetooth technology to link them up.

According to Mark Benveniste, a prosthetist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the bionic foot is an "active foot" not just a "passive foot." "All other (prosthetic) feet are passive, meaning they may have a hinge to the ankle, but they aren't going to power you," Benveniste said. "This foot is an active foot."...

Go read the rest of this great B*N*S*N story here.