popmech:

As you walk, muscles and neurons constantly send information to your brain about where your legs are, where your feet hit the ground, and how hard they push off. Without that feedback, it can be hard to coordinate movement. As a result, amputees who wear prosthetic legs commonly develop gait abnormalities such as shorter strides, slower walking speeds, and standing on tip-toe to swing the prosthetic leg.

“The lack of sensation can affect mobility and quality of life,” says Zachary McKinney, a graduate student in biomedical engineering at UCLA. McKinney and his colleagues have been working on a simple feedback system that can be incorporated with almost any below-the-knee prosthetic leg. “Our goal is to improve sensory awareness of the prosthetic.”

Full story

(via ikenbot)

jtotheizzoe:

abluegirl:

The Top 10 Science Stories of 2011:

1. The Japan Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis
2. Technology Fuels the Arab Spring
3. Faster-Than-Light Neutrinos?
4. Record-Setting Extreme Weather
5. A Hint of Higgs
6. The End of the Space Shuttle Program
7. The Death of Steve Jobs
8. Gene Therapy Makes a Comeback
9. The Sun Sets on Solyndra
10. IBM’s Watson Computer Wins on Jeopardy!

Do you agree? What are some of your favorite science stories of the year?