IntelLeg Knee from Reboocon Bionics

Published , Updated , by Wayne Williams in Category: Bionic Leg / Foot, Mobility
IntelLeg Knee Feature Image

The IntelLeg is a new powered bionic knee, meaning that it uses active propulsion to help users perform daily activities.

What’s On This Page?

A Quick Look at the IntelLeg Knee

New microprocessor knees used to be a rare event. That changed this past year, with not only new knees but also new manufacturers now beginning to emerge.

The IntelLeg is one of these new devices but it isn’t just a microprocessor knee. It is the first new bionic knee with active propulsion in nearly 15 years, updates to Ossur’s Power Knee aside.

What makes this powered knee particularly interesting is that it is nearly 10 % lighter than even the new version of Ossur’s knee, with longer battery life and what appears, at first glance, to be a highly sophisticated sensor and control system.

Here are a few short videos that demonstrate the IntelLeg in action on different terrains/tasks, starting with walking step-over-step up stairs without using a handrail, which isn’t easy to do (note, this was just with the 2nd generation of the IntelLeg, not the latest version):

To emphasize that this feature is not intended only for exceptional users, here are a few others training to do the same with the latest version of the knee:

And here’s a user just starting out:

That’s a lot of videos about stairs, we know, but this is the first bionic knee that we’ve seen make this feature almost routine.

The IntelLeg seems just as capable walking up ramps:

And on rough terrain:

How about walking on snow? One has to be impressed with the confidence that this bilateral above-the-knee amputee has in his IntelLeg to handle such slippery conditions:

If you’re a runner, watch this next video and focus on how smoothly the IntelLeg supports the runner’s gait once he gets into rhythm. Very impressive!

Note, running is not an official activity for the current release of the IntelLeg. It is still a work in progress. But if you’re an amputee who would like to run, you might want to keep an eye out for future releases of this device.

Finally, we’ve had a few inquiries this past year from patients with hip disarticulations and we haven’t been able to present them with a lot of great options. One of the challenges with hip disarticulations is that the user doesn’t have the residual musculature to power the leg. Active propulsion is an obvious solution, as demonstrated here:

And here’s the same patient going up a ramp while handling an additional obstacle:

We’re very impressed by all of these videos, especially since they mostly use different demonstrators for such challenging tasks. Either Reboocon has assembled a team of expert microprocessor knee users for these videos…or the IntelLeg’s sensor and control system is one of the most advanced that we’ve seen.

We would also like to thank Reboocon for making informative videos that focus on daily tasks. Time and again, we ask manufacturers to produce these types of videos because that’s what amputees tell us that they want to see, and time and again we get back slick commercials. If you’re a bionic limb manufacturer and you want to demonstrate how your device can help users handle life’s daily challenges, please put it on tape the way that Reboocon has done in the preceding videos.

IntelLeg Knee Key Features

Sensor & Microprocessor Capabilities

To understand how bionic knees work in general, please see A Complete Guide to Bionic Legs & Feet.

The short story is that the microprocessors in bionic knees have three main tasks:

  • automatically adjusting the resistance in the knee to ensure the proper level of support through each stage of the Stance Phase regardless of terrain;
  • ensuring the optimal release point for the knee to begin the Swing Phase and also the proper foot clearance during this phase, especially when ascending stairs, ramps, etc.;
  • assisting in stumble recovery.

The IntelLeg fulfills these tasks but also supports sitting down, standing up, running, and cycling, all while adding active propulsion where appropriate.

The knee uses three types of sensors to help it carry out its tasks:

  • a ground reaction force (GRF) sensor;
  • a current-based torque sensor; and
  • an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).

Data is sampled from these sensors at a rate of 2000 times per second. Sophisticated algorithms analyze this data to determine user intention and gait events, which are then used to flex or extend the knee at varying speed and resistance levels.

Based on what we see in the IntelLeg videos, Reboocon seems to have done a good job of this.

Compatibility with Prosthetic Feet

The IntelLeg is compatible with any CE-approved prosthetic foot, meaning any foot that conforms with European health, safety, and environmental protection standards.

Batteries

The IntelLeg Knee’s battery can last 30+ hours or roughly 12 kilometers of walking.

It requires two hours to fully recharge. Note, the charger can only be used indoors.

Water & Dust Resistance

The IntelLeg has an IP rating of 45. In practical terms, this means that it is neither water-proof nor dust-proof, though it can withstand a certain amount of water splashing/spraying from any direction.

Device Weight & User Weight Limit

The IntelLeg Knee weighs 2.4 kilograms. The maximum allowable user weight for the knee is 125 kilograms. By comparison, the only other powered knee on the market (Ossur’s Power Knee) weighs 2.6 kilograms and has a maximum patient weight of 116 kilograms.

K-Level Rating

The IntelLeg is suitable for moderate-to-high-activity users. According to Reboocon, this can span K2 to K4 users.

For a thorough understanding of K-levels, please see the Amputee Coalition’s web page on this topic.

User Software

Reboocon offers a mobile app for the IntelLeg Knee called “ILapp”. This app is available for both iOS and Android devices and uses Bluetooth to connect to the knee.

Users can use ILapp for:

  • adjusting settings such as weight, length, and shank length;
  • collecting diagnostic data from the IntelLeg when receiving support from Reboocon or a prosthetist;
  • monitoring the IntelLeg’s battery level as well as possible errors.

Prosthetists can use the app to:

  • activate and register an IntelLeg when it is first put into use;
  • calibrate the knee and verify its performance;
  • perform firmware updates.

We don’t have any good screenshots of the app from either app store, so we copied this image from Reboocon’s ILapp Instruction for Use guide.

Reboocon ILapp Mobile App

Warranty

The IntelLeg comes with a 2-year warranty for manufacturing defects. Devices must undergo scheduled maintenance every 12 months. A replacement IntelLeg or similar device will be provided during maintenance.

Users can also purchase an extended warranty. We do not yet know the available terms for the extended warranty, but we do know that the service life of an IntelLeg is between 3 and 6 years depending on whether the knee is properly serviced.

Price

According to our information, the IntelLeg knee sells for between $70,000 and $90,000 US including the socket, prosthetic foot, and all prosthetist fees.

For a complete list of prices for other microprocessor knees, please see our Microprocessor Knee Price List.

Availability

The IntelLeg is currently available in the EU, Russia, and China. Reboocon hopes to have it available in the U.S. by late 2023.

IntelLeg Knee User Feedback Survey & Results

Are you or have you previously been an IntelLeg user? If so, please share your insights with others looking at the IntelLeg as a possible prosthesis.

Survey

Results

We do not yet have a sufficient number of survey participants to publish fair and accurate results for the IntelLeg.

As soon as we do, we’ll update this section.

Considerations Before Buying an IntelLeg Knee

We do not yet have an official opinion of the IntelLeg because we rely mostly on our User Satisfaction Surveys to form our opinions, and the IntelLeg is too new to have generated sufficient feedback.

But we talk to enough end users and watch enough videos of bionic limbs in action to be able to spot a device of great interest, and the IntelLeg definitely falls into this category.

Also, if you’re seeking a microprocessor knee that provides active propulsion, you have only limited choices at this point, so exploring the IntelLeg is a must.

If you are attempting to compare the IntelLeg with Ossur’s Power Knee, we also strongly recommend that you find a prosthetist who can arrange an at-home trial for you for both knees. You may run into some resistance when making this request but we urge you to insist. There is only one way to determine if a bionic knee is truly compatible with you, and that’s to use it!

For a list of competitive devices, see Current Options for Microprocessor Knees.

For a comprehensive description of all current lower-limb technologies, devices, and research, see our complete guide.

For more information on the IntelLeg Knee, please see this web page.

Click here for more information on Reboocon.