Zac Vawter: A Step (!) Closer to SFnal Cyborgism

Thanks to the first-ever mind-controlled prosthetic leg, a 32-year-old amputee is one bionic step closer to walking like normal, according to a study published this week.

The prosthetic leg bends and moves much like the average leg. More impressive is the fact that it performs these motions with only the wearer’s thoughts. The test pilot in this case, a software engineer named Zac Vawter, lost his leg in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.

Though mind-controlled prosthetic arms have been successful in people, this is the first such lower limb. Unlike many prosthetics today, like running blades, its movement doesn’t rely on a spring-like response. This allows Vawter to more easily transition between different movements like standing up, walking, or climbing stairs, and improves upon the earlier prototype we covered in November when Vawter used it to climb the 103-story Willis Tower.

The researchers rewired the severed nerves (those connected to muscles below the amputated knee) to Vawter’s still-intact hamstring muscle. This redirected his brain’s movement messages to sensors in the prosthetic. These sensors communicate with a computer to translate the nerve messages to actual movements of the robotic leg.