iWalk was founded by Hugh Herr, an MIT Media Lab professor who is himself a double amputee; as iWalk has developed successive iterations of its "PowerFoot" device, few people have worn it as long as Herr.

 

As an individual wearing the PowerFoot walks, the device reacts to the environment, whether that's stairs or a ramp or level ground. The built-in sensors and microprocessors enable the PowerFoot to mimic the natural way that the foot, ankle, Achilles tendon, and calf muscle work together, storing and releasing energy (using an actuator and spring assembly.) Inside the PowerFoot is a lithium polymer battery that needs to be recharged daily. The PowerFoot weighs just 4.5 pounds, which the company says is equal in weight to the one you were born with (or a little lighter), assuming you weigh between 170 and 250 pounds.

Here's a company-produced video featuring retired Army staff sergeant Justin Lynn, a veteran of the Iraq war, talking about the iWalk's natural feel; it includes some amazing shots of Lynn walking up stairs at a construction site and playing golf.

FREEPORT, Ill. -- Freeport natives Luke Jungles and Richard Kesler are working to make a difference in the lives of amputees living in Third World countries.

 

Jungles, a mechanical engineering major, and Kesler, a bioengineering major, are both seniors attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They are making strides to reach their mission of providing economical and adjustable prosthetic arms to people who have little or no access to medical care.

 

"Eighty percent of amputees live in developing countries," Kesler said. "We're focusing on arms because there aren't many other groups devoted to that mission."