SoftFoot Pro – An Extremely Flexible Artificial Foot That Easily Adapts to Different Terrains

Researchers at the Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia in Genoa, Italy, in partnership with Centro E. Piaggio at the University of Pisa, created the SoftFoot Pro, an extremely flexible, motorless artificial foot that adapts easily to different terrains, both indoors and outdoors.

A motorless, flexible prosthetic foot inspired by the anatomy of the human extremity and waterproof is the new SoftFoot Pro bionic foot prototype, designed by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) in Genoa in collaboration with Centro E. Piaggio of University of Pisa

This incredibly innovative prosthetic, modeled after the human foot, allows the wearer to do things that others often take for granted. This includes climbing stairs, tying a shoe, walking barefoot in the grass or on the beach without having to switch to action specific prostheses.

Because of its flexibility, SoftFoot Pro perfectly reproduces the natural positions assumed by the human feet and allows for performing simple everyday actions, such as bending down to tie a shoe, or picking something up from the ground, improving also the walking experience on stairs. Finally, being waterproof makes SoftFoot Pro also adequate to be used outdoor, on meadows, beaches, and slippery terrain, avoiding the need for the user to eventually switch to prostheses specifically designed for specific activities.

SoftFoot Pro can also be used on humanoid robots.

Its design is unique on an international level and aims to serve both as a flexible technological prosthesis for people with limb-loss and as a solution for the humanoid robots of the future.

via The Awesomer