Published in AI

Bionic leg is finally here

by on21 July 2022


We can rebuild him, we have the mechano set and the PVA glue 

California startup Cionic and Yves Béhar's design studio Fuseproject claims to have developed a bionic wearable that uses electric pulses and artificial intelligence to correct muscle movements in people with limited mobility.

The Neural Sleeve is designed to be wrapped around the leg and uses functional electrical stimulation (FES) to help with the walking difficulties that can be caused by multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and strokes.

Cionic and Fuseproject have developed a bionic leg wrap called Neural Sleeve and not Steve which we first thought when reading this and which would be mildly appropropriate. Béhar, who worked with Cionic to make the FES technology usable and scalable said it was a way of remote controling your leg and would not make you better stronger or faster [you are so old Nick. ed]. 

"What the algorithms do and what the electrodes do is they deliver that right sequence. And when the brain has relearned and re-acquired the knowledge of how to fire those muscles, the sleeve is not needed anymore."

The wearable consists of a lightweight fabric sleeve that wraps around the user's leg, holding a series of electrodes in place above the muscles.

A receptor module, tucked away in an integrated pocket on the thigh, picks up information on the user's gait pattern and transfers this to the electrodes, which stimulate the muscles to elicit micro-corrections in their movement.

The whole process is managed by an app, allowing the user a degree of control over the process.

Béhar said the project was challenging because the electrodes had to be placed precisely while also ensuring that people with limited mobility find the device comfortable and easy to put on.

This is what informed the sleeve's wrap-around design, which is fastened in place using a simple Velcro closure.

The Cionic Neural Sleeve was recently cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and deliveries will begin in 2023.

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Last modified on 21 July 2022
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