Replacing hip joints is increasingly common.
Today’s invention is for people who have this operation but who may have, or develop, muscular wastage which makes walking difficult.
The hip joint has a strong magnet embedded within it (yellow).
The user wears a girdle which contains a selection of solenoids (red).
These can be switched on and off in a phased way, so that the system acts as an induction motor, rotating the hip joint back and forth through a controlled angle.
This supports the normal action of the leg muscles, either by way of permanent augmentation or during rehabilitation.
