Alion picked up a $1.4 million contract from the Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity to work on developing a better approach to robotic control technology for prosthetic limbs for military amputees.
According to the firm, “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.”
“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, ” Distributed Simulation Group Manager Richard Brooks said. “Our modeling and simulation expertise will greatly help facilitate advancements in the field of artificial limbs.”