ISRO develops intelligent artificial limb

New Delhi, September 23

An intelligent artificial limb — developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) — is expected to be commercially marketed soon. The artificial limb is likely to be about 10 times cheaper than available options and it would help “above-knee amputees walk with a comfortable gait,” the space agency said in a statement on Friday. The limbs are called microprocessor-controlled knees (MPKs).

In a tweet, ISRO wrote: “A 1.6 kg microprocessor-controlled knee (MPK) enabled an amputee to walk 100m in a corridor with little support. Betterment underway.”

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO, has developed these MPKs “under an MoU with National Institute for Locomotor Disabilities, Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Divyangjan), and Artificial Limb Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO),” the space agency said.