AMPFOOT: the race to reliable prosthetic feet

The Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic (AMP-) Foot project started nearly 10 years ago, within the walls of the Robotics & Multibody Mechanics (R&MM) research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The aim was simple: use robotic technologies inspired by our own human body to develop innovative prosthetic feet and to improve amputees’ life quality. A decade and four prototypes later, the state-of-the-art in bionic feet has been pushed one level further. We are happy to present our new prototype for the first time.

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The technology of the AMP-Foot prostheses relies on two innovative mechatronical systems. The first one provides seamless, adaptable, and more importantly, natural responses to different terrains, stride lengths, walking speeds and walking slopes which increases the overall stability and comfort of the wearer in daily life situations. The second system provides active propulsion, hereby taking over the lost functions of the calf muscles and Achilles tendon during walking. The foot basically gives the amputee the extra push a normal leg also provides. The combination of both systems brings us one step closer to mimicking an intact ankle-foot.

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