Glenn Klute, Ph.D.
VA Center of Excellence for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering
"Sensory Enhancement for Lower Limb Amputees"


ABSTRACT

Limb loss can have a profound impact on an individual’s quality of life.  Regardless of etiology,
lower limb amputees suffer from a disproportionately high incidence of pain and discomfort than
their intact counterparts.  Many have compromised circulation, increasing their susceptibility to
significant injury by eroding their wound healing ability.  Further, amputees walk slower, have
higher heart rates, and require more metabolic resources.  To address these issues, our research
team of engineers and graduate students work with physicians, prosthetists, and patients to improve
prosthetic prescription by investigating the efficacy of prosthetic components used in current clinical
practice and by developing novel approaches intended to improve the current standard of care.

This seminar will provide an overview of our engineering projects and focus on our sensory
enhancement research intended to improve the thermal comfort and proprioception of lower limb
amputees.