position: EnglishChannel  > News> Soft Prosthetic Knee Gives a Leg-up to Innovation

Soft Prosthetic Knee Gives a Leg-up to Innovation

Source: | 2025-04-02 18:15:57 | Author: Gong Qian

Researchers from Peking University (PKU) have developed an innovative soft prosthetic knee. An account of the research was published in Nature Communications.

In contrast to the rigid, high-density metallic mechanics of knee prosthetics, this breakthrough represents a paradigm shift in lower-limb prosthetics with notable advantages, including lighter weight, a more compact structure, cost-effective production, and simplified manufacturing processes.

According to the PKU website, the highlight of the innovation is the integration of an origami-inspired design and horsetail-inspired weight-bearing mechanism.

The soft prosthetic knee incorporates an origami-inspired structure, strengthened with polymer blocks and a connecting system for the thigh and calf. Its design enables an extensive motion range to accommodate the knee's dynamic movement requirements.

To improve its load-bearing capability, the back-fold structure forms a pneumatic chamber, mimicking the hydraulic pressure found in horsetail cells. Reinforced folds help minimize unnecessary deformation, enhancing motion control precision.

This device, which integrates advanced materials, actuators and sensors, alongside 3D printing and other modern manufacturing techniques, is expected to not only reduce costs but also accelerate the development of next-generation prosthetic devices.

Editor:GONG Qian

Top News

  • QwQ-32B, a reasoning large language model (LLM) by Alibaba's Tongyi Qianwen (Qwen), has been integrated with the scientific research of several institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), facilitating research on solar flare and water resources on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Symposium Discusses Non-equilibrium Transport Phenomena

​The 1st International Symposium on Non-Equilibrium Transport Phenomena (NETP) focusing on frontier topics in the study and application of non-equilibrium transport phenomena was held in Beijing from April 7 to 10.

China Focus: China takes firm countermeasures against U.S. tariff bullying

China has taken swift, firm countermeasures following the latest U.S. tariff hike on Chinese imports, in a move to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

抱歉,您使用的浏览器版本过低或开启了浏览器兼容模式,这会影响您正常浏览本网页

您可以进行以下操作:

1.将浏览器切换回极速模式

2.点击下面图标升级或更换您的浏览器

3.暂不升级,继续浏览

继续浏览