Man's Bestfriend Gets Prosthetics

West Point Bionic Foot: Transforming Fiction Into Reality

Who isn't familiar with Iron Man? Chances are, if you aren't, then you aren't familiar with the idea of a super-soldier outfitted with performance and combat ready equipment built into their suit. Sure enough, Iron Man is a fictional comic super hero, whose trade mark hot rod red and gold body paint has been a favorite for many comic enthusiast. However, can this idea of a suit or device built to armor a person really hold water in real life?

Meet the West Point Bionic Foot.

While it may not be the complete body suit, it is however, a glimpse of what the future holds. The foot itself is powered by two lightweight motors which are enabled by tension springs. According to Morgan Stanfield, a writer for O&P Edge, the West Point Bionic Foot is, "a cooperative effort among Arizona State researcher Tom Sugar, PhD, SpringActive; the U.S. Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC); and a student engineering team from the United States Military Academy at West Point (West Point)." The  powered foot also represents a promising outlook for Military research; especially, in terms of creating the ability of powered running--which until now, was unheard of.

Be sure to check out a video of the West Point Bionic Foot by clicking here.

Amputee Coalition of America...Saving limbs, building lives

The Amputee Coalition of America is an organization dedicated to providing advocacy, support, and education to support their mission. Their mission statement reads, "To reach out to and empower people affected by limb loss to achieve their full potential through education, support and advocacy, and to promote limb loss prevention."

Their mission statement cannot be any closer to the truth.

The organization's website is filled with various helpful information for anyone seeking to empower themselves. The information has a wide range of topics including: support groups, scholarship opportunities, advocacy action center (which keeps readers involved with government changes), and other useful links. Perhaps our favorite is the National Limb Loss Information Center, which provides comprehensive resources for people with limb loss, as well as their families, friends, and the health care professionals involved in their lives. Which can be found at this link.

For additional information please visit the Amputee Coalition of America website by clicking here.