Army’s ALC unveils prosthetic for all-terrain mobility & speedy recovery

Pune: The Artificial Limb Centre (ALC) of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has unveiled an indigenously developed prosthetic foot designed to improve mobility and help lower-limb amputees negotiate terrains.On a visit to review ALC’s rehabilitation and assistive-technology initiatives, Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, the AFMS director-general, also toured ‘Saksham’, the centre’s mobility clinic. The foot was unveiled during the visit.The foot has adjustable ankle movement, which is intended to allow users to adapt more naturally to different surfaces and improve stability while walking.ALC said the foot is expected to reduce rehabilitation time for that the The foot is also expected to reduce rehabilitation time. According to the ALC, the new design could bring the rehabilitation period down from around six weeks to four weeks.An official said the foot will undergo controlled trials involving trained patients. “The trials will help assess how the foot performs in real-life activities and whether its ankle movement provides better mobility across different terrains,” the official said.The prosthesis employs materials to make it strong and durable. The materials and structural strength will be tested on specialised machines before the limb can enter wider manufacturing. and, eventually, mass production. A crucial step is to standardise components and refine the form factor so to make the foot widely accessible.The initiative is part of the ALC’s broader effort to move beyond conventional rehabilitation and develop indigenous, affordable and customised assistive technologies for service personnel and other amputees.The development builds on the ALC’s earlier work in prosthetic-foot technology, including a design that contributed to the performance of Indian para-athletes.The ALC’s integration of rehabilitation, prosthetic development and 3D printing under one roof is aimed at reducing dependence on imported technologies while allowing devices to be customised according to individual patients’ requirements, said the officials.