Who invented prosthetic blades

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Gray DC Bureau. Investigate TV. Latest Newscasts. Blade runners: The future of prosthetics. By Lauren Moss. Published: Nov. Grabowski and her colleagues found that Rehm and other world-class long jumpers with a below-the-knee amputation use a fundamentally different technique than competitors who do not need a prosthesis.

In March Grabowski, Kram and research associate Paolo Taboga reported in The Journal of Experimental Biology that athletes with a left leg prosthesis are at a disadvantage in track events of meters or more. Having their blade leg on the inside of the counter-clockwise curve made them generally 4 percent slower than those wearing right leg prostheses.

The disparity was less pronounced in the outer lanes where the curve radius is not as great. Grabowski and her colleagues continue to research the effects of blade height and stiffness on performance.

The International Paralympic Committee IPC , which governs the Paralympic Games, regulates prosthetic length for double-leg amputees based on a number of factors including wingspan from the tips of one's fingers on one hand to those on the other hand while the arms are held perpendicular to the body and height.

The researchers tested five amputee athletes running at different heights on blade prosthetics made by three companies.

The researchers hope to publish their findings within the next six months. Meticulous lab testing is important but it can never replicate what actually happens on the track in the heat of competition.

Larry Greenemeier is the associate editor of technology for Scientific American , covering a variety of tech-related topics, including biotech, computers, military tech, nanotech and robots.