Fillauer’s Raize Foot is a lightweight, low-profile bionic foot/ankle that focuses on optimizing the Stance Phase of the user’s gait. With low water and dust resistance ratings, it is best suited for light duties in clean operating environments.
What’s On This Page?
- A Quick Look at the Raize Foot
- Ankle Range of Motion (ROM)
- Ankle Accommodation
- Electric Propulsion
- Sensor and Microprocessor Capabilities
- Batteries
- Water and Dust Resistance
- Device Weight & User Weight Limit
- K-Level Rating
- User Software
- Warranty
- Price
- Compatibility with Bionic Knees
- User Feedback Survey & Results
- Considerations Before Buying a Raize Foot
- Related Information
A Quick Look at the Raize Foot
The following video begins as a pure commercial but has some good footage of the Raize Foot in action starting at the 0:40 mark:
As you can see, the Raize does a good job of handling different types of terrain.
Raize Foot’s Key Features
Ankle Range of Motion (ROM)
The maximum ankle ROM for the Raize Foot is 28 degrees, which is roughly average for bionic feet/ankles.
However, this number is not always reliable as some ROM values include the ROM of the foot component in addition to ankle ROM, while some do not.
Also, Raize’s ROM can be reduced by its heel settings.
Ankle Accommodation
The Raize Foot uses a within-step ankle accommodation strategy. This means that the ankle adjusts to the terrain during the Stance Phase of each step instead of the Swing Phase. Within-step systems generally respond more quickly to terrain changes than those that adjust during the Swing Phase (described as “inter-step”).
Electric Propulsion
The Raize Foot does not augment push-off with electric power. We suspect that it provides some energy storage and reuse through its carbon fiber foot. However, there is no mention of this in Fillauer’s documentation, so it is obviously not a prominent feature.
The only bionic foot/ankle currently on the market that enhances push-off with electric power is Ottobock’s Empower Ankle.
Sensor and Microprocessor Capabilities
The Raize has multiple sensors to detect its movement and position. Its dual microprocessors use this information to control the hydraulic resistance for both plantar flexion and dorsiflexion during the Stance Phase of the gait cycle.
The Raize does not actively manage dorsiflexion (i.e. keeping the toes up) during the Swing Phase, though it does automatically allow maximum dorsiflexion on inclines. Nor does it automatically compensate for heel height. Instead, either the user or the prosthetist must adjust this using Raize’s software, its key fob, or buttons on the foot’s CPU pod.
Hydraulic resistance levels and an ankle lock feature can also be controlled using one or more of these methods.
Batteries
The independent data we have from August 2018 states that the Raize Foot’s battery life is 18 hours. Fully recharging the battery requires roughly 4 hours.
The battery should be replaced every two years or two million cycles, whichever comes first.
Water and Dust Resistance
The Raize Foot is listed as being splash resistant, not waterproof. It is also not recommended for use in dusty or dirty environments.
Device Weight & User Weight Limit
The Raize weighs 735 to 797 grams depending on foot size. This is by far the lightest of all bionic feet/ankles.
The maximum user weight for the Raize is 100 kilograms. This is 25 kg less than all its bionic foot/ankle competitors.
K-Level Rating
The Raize Foot is rated for low-to-moderate-impact K3 use. It is not intended for high-impact sports such as running, basketball, etc.
User Software
The Raize offers a remote application that allows users to adjust both heel height and flexion resistance:
The application is available for both Android and IOS devices.
Warranty
The Raizer Foot offers a two-year limited warranty, which matches the warranty of Ossur’s Proprio Foot but is less than the three-year warranty offered by all other bionic feet/ankles.
The Raize should be checked by a prosthetist every six months to one year.
Price
We do not have good information on Raize’s net cash price to the end-user for a typical setup. We are actively seeking this information and will update this article as soon as we can verify a price.
If you can help us with this issue, please send us a message through our Contact Form.
Compatibility With Bionic Knees
We have not been able to identify any bionic knees explicitly listed as being compatible with the Raize Foot. On the contrary, Raize’s own product manual states that it “may not be compatible with microprocessor knees”.
User Feedback Survey & Results
Are you or have you previously been a Raize Foot user? If so, please share your insights with others looking at the Raize 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 Raize Foot.
As soon as we do, we’ll update this section.
Considerations Before Buying a Raize Foot
The one point that stands out about the Raize is that it is a lightweight bionic foot/ankle. It can only support weights up to 100 kg. Its water and dust resistance ratings are lower than all of its competitors. And, based on the fact that Fillauer doesn’t mention the energy storage and release capacity of its carbon fiber foot component, we have to assume that this is not a major feature.
Given these limitations, we expect that the Raize Foot is available at a lower price than its competitors. If this is indeed the case, then it might offer a good value proposition for certain types of users.
We are searching for prosthetists with more intimate knowledge of the Raize and will update this article as soon as we have more information.
Related Information
For a list of competitor devices, see All Bionic Feet.
For a comprehensive description of all current lower-limb technologies, devices, and research, see our complete guide.
Click here for more information on Fillauer.