POSE: Phase I: Advancement of an open-source hardware and software ecosystem for the Open Source Bionic Leg

This project is funded by the Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) Program which seeks to harness the power of open-source development for the creation of new technology solutions to problems of national and societal importance. The objective of this project is to develop an ecosystem for the Open-Source Bionic Leg system, which gives researchers access to a fully capable and standardized hardware platform.

The intent of the Open-Source Leg is to lower the barrier to studying the challenges of controlling robotic prosthetic legs. The Open-Source Leg system enables researchers to more easily study and compare different control strategies without the prohibitive cost of developing a robotic leg from scratch. The overarching goal of this work is to accelerate the impact of the Open-Source Leg through the development of open-access materials and community interaction.

The project's novelties are the purpose-built development of robotic leg hardware, software, and open-source tools designed for broad, open access.

To further the ecosystem for the Open-Source Leg, the aims of this project are threefold: 1) discover the appropriate ecosystem and deployment mechanisms through interaction with existing and future users; 2) build and refine the open-source infrastructure and governance tools through discussions with other open-source ecosystems, especially organizations that manage open-source hardware; and 3) disseminate information about the Open-Source Leg project and its use through conferences and web-based media. The work may impact the lives of those with disabilities through the advancement of next-generation robotic leg prostheses.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.