帮助截肢者的新技术

New research from the University of Colardo at Boulder is attempting to update that technology to help amputees.

On a recent Saturday, 28-year-old Chris Tate was in a Boulder, Colorado, research lab to test prosthetic sports devices.

Tate’s left leg was amputated below the knee four years ago.

"I was on a bike, like a pit bike, and I got hit by a drunk driver," Tate said.

"There’s so many amputees out there. I’ve actually learned that recently, just becoming one myself, and there’s so many questions that I had," he said.

Dr. Alena Grabowski of the University of Colorado hopes to answer prosthesis-related questions in a three-year study funded by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

"We’re trying to understand how changes to the existing technology affect performance and that way if we can understand that link maybe we can make a better prosthesis in the future," Dr. Grabowski said.

Unlike running shoes, which seem to get more advanced each year, Grabowski says prosthesis technology is about 15 to 20- years-old and could use some updating.

Grabowski thinks the devices South African sprint runner, Oscar Pistorius made famous at the 2012 Olympics actually put him at a disadvantage.

"He’s not able to generate as much force on the ground as a non-amputee."

By measuring force a thousand times per second and motion a hundred times per second, Grabowski hopes to learn how the height and stiffness of different devices help or hinder Tate’s performance.

"For the same amount of force, you’ll have more give so it just feels a little bit softer, a little squishier," Grabowski said.
"Not a lot of people have the availability to change to different prostheses. They normally get one, some people would say some are better, but we don’t know that answer yet. That’s hopefully what we’ll see after this study," Phd student Owen Beck said.

The research could lead to better prosthetic design and benefit many, whether they are athletes or not.