New body-replacement or augmentation technologies keep on appearing… MIT have developed the first robotic ankle replacement. Unlike previous ankle replacements, this one will allow the wearer to walk with a natural gait. The final paragraph, which outlines what else they’re working on, is also interesting.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that women who have had mastectomies may be able to grow new breasts using fat removed by liposuction from their own belly. The key is the addition of “concentrated stem cells”, which stimulate the fat to turn into breast tissue, rather than being reabsorbed into the body. The scientists involved aren’t actually sure how it works, but apparently trials in Japan have been very successful.
