Timeline of Bionics (focusing on leg bionics)

By Sooyoung9241
  • 1508

    An early evidence

    A medieval knight got his arm cut by his sword and had it amputated and replaced.

  • The Peg Leg

    Were made from wood and attached with leather straps. These legs offered little flexibility and would have required crutches to walk with.

  • Pylons

    Pylons were designed to get people used to walking before a more sophisticated metal limb could be fitted.

  • WW1 leg

    Each British serviceman that lost a leg during WW1 was given a free replacement limb. This leg was designed for a below knee amputee.

  • Metal legs were introduced

    Made of light copper-aluminium alloy. Until this point many amputees were still using wood and leather peg leg prosthetics.

  • Knee Sockets were introduced

    At this point, artificial legs with bending knee joints were widely distributed to amputees. These had to be locked in place when stood up and then released with a switch when bending or sitting down.

  • The first sign of bionics

    Willen J. Koff developed the first kidney dialysis machine.

  • The smart knee

    The smart knee only locked when there was pressure from the heel hitting the ground, it would then bend when there was pressure on the toes. The smart knee was an attempt to create a natural feel of walking

  • The first test

    The first artificial pacemaker was fully planted into a human patient, at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. This early experiment was not a great success, however, as the implant was functional for only three hours.

  • The term 'bionics'

    Jack Steele invented the term 'bionics'

  • The first mechanical hand

    A computer-operated mechanical hand was developed.

  • High-density Polythene

    High-density polythene, which is used in artificial hip joints, was developed by John Charnley.

  • Fully functional arms

    Fully funtional arms were made by Americans.

  • Extension bionics

    Thousands of children were being born with stunted limbs due to Thalidomide. The one piece aluminium legs were attached to the hips using pelvic bands. These extensions were designed to give more stability when walking.

  • Soft contact lens

    Bausch and Lomb developed the world’s first soft contact lens.

  • Deep-brain electrical stimulation

    The first deep-brain electrical stimulation implant was used on a patient with advanced Parkinson’s disease.

  • The first cloned mammal

    Scottish researchers announced they had produced the first cloned mammal (sheep)

  • The C-leg

    The microprocessor controlled knee shin system ,C-Leg, was introduced to the United States. The C-Leg remains one of the best artificial legs to today.

  • Proprio Foot

    The first bionic foot was introduced with artificial intelligence that could make judgments about the movement that is needed.