Prosthetic limbs have come a long way in recent years. However, the most recent iterations with regards to feet have gone for function over form. Enter the SoftFoot Pro, a new artificial limb by the Italian Institute of Technology.
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00:00Prosthetic limbs have come a long way in recent years, but most of their iterations, especially
00:08with regards to feet, have gone for function over form, and to the SoftFoot Pro, a new
00:12artificial limb by the Italian Institute of Technology.
00:16It has a soft body mimicking a real human foot, one its developers say is not only more
00:20complex than the hand, but which also helps humans deal with every environment.
00:25This is one of SoftFoot Pro's developers, Manuel Catalano.
00:29According to him, the system of phalanx bones, ligaments, and muscles are key to the ease
00:33of human locomotion.
00:34What we are trying to do is to replicate this principle in a technology system that can
00:42be available for both humanoid robots and also prosthetic systems for humans.
00:47He adds that because of its soft body, it can absorb impacts well, but it also has phalanges
00:52just like the foot, which allow it to grasp the environment and adapt, meaning unlike
00:56other prosthetics, this one is truly all-terrain, and it could be used for robots as well.
01:01Currently, most humanoid robots have flat feet which improves stability, but it sacrifices
01:05their ability to function on all surfaces.
01:08The best part?
01:09The SoftFoot Pro doesn't have any motors, meaning it doesn't need to be charged.