Alion Science and Technology was awarded an 18-month, $1.4 million contract from the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity to explore affordable and improved approaches in bringing robotic control technology to the field of prosthetic limbs, according to a press release.
“This critically important program is expected to result in a model for developing a unique, rather than a one-size fits all, robotic prosthetic device for an amputee, lower costs for embedding sensors within a limb, and an advanced integrated control system that allows for lighter, more comfortable and more cost-effective prostheses,” Rear Admiral Richard Brooks, USN (Ret.), Alion’s distributed simulation group manager, stated in the release.
Alion will develop a protocol and modeling tool for robotic, upper limb prosthetics that will lead to the development of an affordable prosthetic device that is lightweight, more functional to the amputee, more power-efficient and has an extended battery life. The program is designed to augment and accelerate the development of implantable electronic sensors and the development and application of virtual prototyping simulation models, which will ultimately help the amputee better control the prosthetic.
