Prosthetic gives officer a leg up
It’s called the Ottobock Genium, and it’s what allows OPP Const. Peter Tucker to patrol the highways and keep the byways safe in Niagara.
The leg he wears to work is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. military and Ottobock, a German company that’s been manufacturing prosthetics since 1919.
The Genium was made to allow amputee U.S. soldiers to return to duty, and has its own micro processor.
It is built to handle stairs and obstacles, has a stumble recovery feature and is “optimized” for Tucker’s gait. It is waterproofed to the highest industry standard. Tucker swims in the ocean with it when on vacation.
“It is pretty amazing,” Tucker says. “It bends with me when I walk. My doctor can access it from a laptop.
“If I am on the uneven ground, it bends with me. When I walk, the computer lifts the ball of the foot, so I don’t trip.”
Ottobock is also renowned for its Michelangelo Hand project. The robotic hand is fully articulated, with a joint system similar to a human hand, and features an “electronically actuated thumb” which mimics natural movements of a human hand.
On Tucker’s limb, sophisticated sensors allow him to easily navigate ramps, stairs and nearly every type of surface.
“I think about my missing leg sometimes, but I never think about the accident,” says Tucker, who lost his leg at about the knee after it was severed in a high-speed motorcycle crash while on duty in 2014.
“One person out of 20 might ask if I hurt myself because on some days I have a slight limp.
“When I tell them I lost my leg, they are shocked, especially when I am in full uniform and standing there.”