The Dextra technology is now being used in a collaborative study with Dr. Grigore Burdea of Rutgers to evaluate how it may benefit amputees through the use of virtual reality. Wearing a cuff that picks up signals from the user's arm, the user controls a virtual onscreen hand to perform dexterity exercises on a computer. Preliminary tests indicate several possible uses for and benefits: as a tool for assessing and training amputees in using a mechanical hand; integrating with future designs to improve the function of prosthetic arms and hands; and, in the case of lower-limb amputees, it may help to improve their gait. Perhaps most interesting of all, virtual reality may help amputees cope with phantom pain by enabling them to visualize and move a virtual lost limb to a less painful position.

Lower Extremities

The problem with traditional prostheses has always been that the wearer does most of the work, particularly when walking uphill or over uneven terrain. That may eventually become a thing of the past.

Iceland's Ossur Total Prosthetic Solutions has signed a deal with Victhom Human Bionics Inc., Canada, to manufacture and distribute what has been called the world's first bionic leg, a motorized, prosthetic system for transfemoral amputees. Victhom's leg technology is different because it works with, not against, the wearer. Unlike passive lower limbs, Victhom's knee will be capable of both active flexion and extension, which will make it more energy-efficient and enable a more natural gait.