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Smart Prosthetic Leg, Designed For Military, Now Available For Civilians

By John McDevitt

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The world's first intelligent prosthetic leg is making a difference. It was developed in collaboration with the U.S. military for injured service members, and is now available to civilians.

Using a device similar to a remote control, 43-year-old Rebecca Levenberg was changing her Genium Bionic Prosthetic System, which has a micro-processing knee, to a free swing mode for inline skating.

"It has really made a huge difference, I think, in my ability to walk safely as a beginning walker and also the rate at which I really learned to walk with a really natural gait and also pick up some other activities that I used to do before the accident."

Rebecca lost her leg above her knee two years ago after a trash truck hit her while she was riding her bike near 4th and Washington.

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Rebecca Levenberg. (Credit: John McDevitt)

Certified Prosthetist Byron Backus works for Ottobock, the company that makes the hi-tech leg. He says advancements have been made thanks to the U.S. military.

"And Genium is the civilian version, so people like Rebecca can take advantage of this technology that the military has been funding the research for."

Rebecca writes on her blog, "I am going to take step after step until I've literally walked a thousand miles." To follow her journey, click here.

To learn more about Ottobock, the company that made Rebecca's prosthetic, click here.

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