For 12 years our lab researched how to make a bionic ankle prosthetic that truly allow people, who suffered a below the knee amputation, to walk again and live an active life. Novel technology was developed and patented such as a locking mechanism for storing energy in a spring. After 4 prototypes the technology was mature enough to create a spin-off called Axiles Bionics and start the final development and certifcation steps. Axiles Bionics raised €2,4M in a Series A financing round and later received an Innoviris grant of €2M to execute the development.
The Brubotics groups MFYS and R&MM have researched and created a smart lower-limb ortho-prosthesis. Important in such research is to take the physiology of the user into account when controlling the prosthesis such that human like motions and intuitive control can be obtained. The prosthesis was developed to allow daily tasks such as sit to stance, and was put to the test in the ETH Zurich Cybathlon, a competition for assistive technologies.
More information on the Cyberlegs project can be found below:
