State of the Art in Robotic Leg Prostheses: Where We Are and Where We Want to Be
3rd Edition

Full-day workshop October 1, 2026,  Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Room 328.

Lunch will be provided


Ambulation with conventional prostheses is slower, less stable, and less efficient than ambulation in able-bodied individuals. Robotic leg prostheses have the potential to close this gap by providing biomechanically accurate kinetics and kinematics. Although these devices have advanced considerably, design challenges persist in making them lighter, more powerful, and more durable, while open issues in control include adaptability to unstructured real-world environments, integration of the user’s volition, and personalization based on the patient’s preference.

This 3rd edition of the workshop builds on the highly successful IROS 2020 and 2023 events, focusing on the latest breakthroughs and open challenges in powered prosthetics. To highlight new concepts, we will showcase emerging applications, including the development of bionic legs for highly dynamic activities, agile maneuvers, and navigating complex, unstructured environments, as well as the integration of neural interfaces into the prosthesis control loop. Top researchers will present their current approaches, while interactive panel discussions will dissect ongoing challenges. Attendees will also experience live demonstrations of state-of-the-art powered prostheses and get hands-on experience with leading technologies. A dedicated poster session will highlight emerging researchers and provide them with early feedback on their work.


Registration

Register to attend this workshop when you complete your IROS 2026 registration. Email t.lenzi@utah.edu with questions about registration.


Invited Speakers


Raffaella Carloni
Robotics Lab
University of Groningen

Kyle Embry
Shirley Ryan Ability Lab
Northwestern University

Michael Goldfarb
Goldfarb CREATE Lab
Vanderbilt University

Elliott Rouse
Neurobionics Lab
University of Michigan

Max Shepherd
Shepherd Lab
Northeastern University

Ryan Posh
Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory
University of Michigan
Incoming Professor at The Ohio State University

Massimo Sartori
Neubotics Lab
University of Twente


Posters

1. Development of a prosthetic leg joint for the ankle or knee
Nathan Carmichael, Max Shepherd
Shepherd Lab, Northeastern University

2. System Identification of a Powered Knee Prosthesis
John McCullough, Marco Nedungadi, Hugh Herr
Biomechatronics Group, Media Lab, MIT

3. Cam-eleon: A Cam-Actuated Quasi-Passive Ankle-Foot Prosthesis
Carolina Warneryd, Hugh Herr, Duncan Lee
Biomechatronics Group, Hugh Herr, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4. Sound Matters: Standardizing Audible Noise Reporting for Wearable Robots
Zachary Bons, Shane Thiede, Elliott J. Rouse
Neurobionics Lab, University of Michigan

5. Backward-Walking Controller for a Swing-Assist Knee Prosthesis
Marion Hagstrom, David Marsh, Michael Goldfarb
CREATE Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University (Goldfarb)

6. Future Paths to Leave Today's Prosthetic Challenges Behind
Louis Flynn1*, Stefano Nuzzo1, Maxim Yudev2, Tom Verstraten1
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brubotics (FLAIR)(1), Flanders Make, Leuven(1), and KU Leuven, Belgium(2)

7. The K-Foot: A Quasi-Passive Ankle Prosthesis with Variable Stiffness
Kathryn Lee, Max Shepherd
Shepherd Lab at Northeastern University

8. Elicited Plantar Sensation via Neural Stimulation Modulates Muscle Activity in the Residual Limb
Lindsey Hauck, Ronald Triolo, Hamid Charkhkar
ReLLiNC Lab at Case Western Reserve University, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

9. A Multi-Device Dataset for Device-Independent Learning in Powered Prosthetic Control
Lorenzo Vianello, Ann M. Simon, Andrea J. Ikeda, Suzanne B. Finucane, Shawana Anarwala,
Jim Lipsey, Frank Ursetta, Chandler Clark, Michael Stephens, Zhi Wang, Kyle R. Embry, Levi J. Hargrove

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

10. A Powered-on-Passive Hydraulic Knee Prosthesis based on a Resettable Piston Pump
Jonathan Tittle, Michael Goldfarb
Vanderbilt University

11. Two Case Studies of In-Socket Pressure Characteristics for Passive and Active Transtibial Prostheses
A.B. Jigida, M.M. Dickens, J. Denune, S. C. Gnyawalic, P. M. Wensinga, S. Royc, J. P. Schmiedeler
University of Notre Dame, NuTech Institute, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

12. Visual Guidance During Human-in-the-Loop Optimization of Ankle-Foot Prosthesis Stiffness: Preliminary Effects on Gait Symmetry
Ronak Vyas, Choonghyun Son, Hyeongkeun Jeong, Aditya Hansoty, Tristan Kenny, Myunghee Kim*
Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

13. A Reduced-Parameter Formulation for Personalizing Powered Prosthesis Impedance Control
Amy E. Lang, Robert D. Gregg
Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory, University of Michigan

14. Initial Study of Prosthetic Foot-Sole Mechanical Properties to Seed Hardware–Control Co-Design
Mohannad Alhakami, Mohamed Elobaid, Eric Feron
RISC Lab, King Abdullah University of Science and TTechnology (KAUST)

15. Is the Conventional Transfemoral Socket a Performance Limiter for Advanced Prosthetic Knees? Preliminary Evidence for a Subischial Skeletal-Control Interface
Randall Alley
biodesigns, inc.

16. Toward Phase-Free Coordination-Driven Powered Prosthetic Knee Control
Elad Siman Tov, Nili Krausz
eNaBLe Lab, Technion


Robotic Leg Prosthesis Demos



Workshop Schedule

See workshop schedule here (subject to change).


Organizers


Elliott Rouse
Neurobionics Lab
University of Michigan

Raffaella Carloni
Robotics Lab
University of Groningen

Ryan Posh
Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory
University of Michigan
Incoming Professor at The Ohio State University