Two of the 14 different bionics research projects featured in “,” an interactive website developed by the聽, are from Vanderbilt University.
One is the first lower leg prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints, developed by聽, the H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and his colleagues at the聽聽which has been licensed by聽,聽a leading developer and manufacturer of lower limb prosthetic devices, for commercial development.
The second is a research project designed to create a small, surgically implanted and free-standing artificial kidney to treat end stage renal disease headed by Assoc. Professor of Medicine William Fissell. The object of the project is to give patients new hope beyond the short-term solution of renal dialysis and the longer-term, but impermanent, solution of a kidney transplant with the limited number of donor organs available.
The purpose of the website is to help students and the general public learn about the innovative biomedical research being conducted by projects supported by the federal agency.