IAA – Real World Evaluation of a Powered Intelligent Prosthetic Ankle

150,000 people per year will suffer a below knee amputation. This is increasing with diabetes and vascular disease. Advanced prosthetic feet, with an estimated market of 10,000 per year, generally cannot output net energy or motions like amputees' lost muscles. Consequently, amputees adopt compensatory gait patterns associated with an increased risk of injury and damage to the musculoskeletal system. Blatchford, a world-leading manufacturer of lower-limb prostheses, has expressed an interest in collaborating to assess the clinical benefits and safety of an upcoming novel powered ankle prosthesis. In previous collaboration, CAMERA’s gait lab facilities and biomechanical analysis, confirmed the usability of the prosthetic foot and identified some potential clinical benefits. To bring the power ankle towards eventual commercialisation, further steps have been implemented during this IAA project, which aimed to gather and analyse evidence for the real word benefits, safety, and usability of the novel foot prosthesis.