Posted by Natalie Yarbor - email
WASHINGTON, DC (NBC) - Lieutenant Colonel Greg Gadson was the first person in the world to receive the completed version of the Ossur Power Knee.
Gadson, who was injured in Iraq, showed off the new knees at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC Thursday.
Gadson, an Iraq war veteran, said of the knee, "It's sort of like if you were driving a school bus and someone put you in a sports car. You know, you still know how to drive, but it's quite a different feeling."
The soldier lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq two years ago, leaving this former West Point football player to re-learn putting one foot in front of the other.
He can now walk a mile at a time, and with three times the battery power, this leg lasts all day.
Doctors said this version of the power knee is smaller, sleeker, quieter, and lighter than the version developed in 2006.
The power knee will be provided to military hospitals this year, then it will be available to the general population in 2010.
Developers of the power knee said ground contact sensors allow the user to control and manage the action of walking without even thinking about it.
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