The world`s first artificial leg capable of simulating the feelings of a real limb and fighting phantom pain will be unveiled by researchers in Vienna on Monday.
The innovation is the result of a two-fold process, developed by Professor Hubert Egger at the University of Linz in northern Austria.
Surgeons first rewired remaining foot nerve endings from a patient`s stump to healthy tissue in the thigh, placing them close to the skin surface.
Six sensors were then fitted to the foot sole of a lightweight prosthesis, and linked to so-called stimulators inside the shaft where the stump sits.
“It`s like a second lease of life, like being reborn,” Austrian amputee Wolfgang Rangger, told AFP ahead of Monday`s media launch.
The former teacher, who lost his right leg in 2007 after suffering a blood clot caused by a cerebral stroke, has spent the last six months testing the new prosthesis.
No Comments