SOFT ROBOTICS IN
YOUR FEET
A CHALLENGING PROJECT
The SoftFoot Pro is a novel robotic foot prosthesis that embraces the principles of soft robotics to achieve an anthropomorphic and intrinsically adaptive design, enabling the user to navigate uneven grounds with ease and safety, akin to the human foot. It boasts a fully passive yet highly articulated soft architecture designed to replicate key features of the human foot, particularly its longitudinal arches, and the sole ensuring stability across all types of terrain. Through the embodied intelligence of its mechanical design, the sole adjusts its shape and stiffness in response to the user's load and the terrain profile, offering compliance and stability in real-world environments.
Originally developed for robotic applications by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - "Soft Robotics for Human Cooperation and Rehabilitation" research line - and the Research Center "E. Piaggio" of the University of Pisa, the SoftFoot Pro is now transitioning into a prosthesis through the SoftPro project, funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program, and the ERC Synergy project Natural BionicS.
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The prosthesis was tested with two below-knee prosthetic users, in collaboration first with the Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials at the Hannover Medical School, and then with the Clinical Laboratory for Bionic Extremity Reconstruction at the Medical University of Vienna in conjunction with Imperial College London.