IEEESpectrum, August 30, 2012, Eliza Strickland. ieeespectrum. A video can be found on EEESpectrum’s website for those interested in seeing this technology in action. Until recently, an artificial leg was an inert object—a clunky piece of wood or plastic that supported a user, but didn’t help much beyond that. But these days artificial limbs can contain advanced sensors and microprocessors, and their motors can provide a power boost for each step.