Thanks for the links, I'll check them out later.
Just quickly regarding the mechanics, this was done extensively by Bruggemann in the first round of testing in Germany in late 2007. Interestingly, when Pistorius and Herr went to CAS, they didn't challenge these findings and nor did they repeat the testing, and so I would take that as approval that Bruggemann's numbers are accurate. Briefly, he found that human tendons returned 59% of the energy stored, whereas the carbon fiber blades returned 92%. So that's a 41% LOSS compared to an 8% loss, pretty substantial differences.
There was some dispute at the CAS hearing about this discrepancy, because Herr and Kram argued that the energy might not be lost, but rather transferred across the joint. In any event, there's more on this here:
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2011/08/scientific-interpretation-of-oscar.html
Re advances in technology, Pistorius and Herr have said repeatedly that the blades haven't changed in 15 years (Pistorius has occasionally said 7 as well). The problem is, in 2007, Wired Magazine went with Pistorius to write a big feature on him, and the focus was the unveiling of a new prototype Cheetah, and so it's quite clear that the companies are developing new equipment all the time. I know a few Paralympians, single leg amputees, and they're testing on an annual basis to find the best new blade, a change in shape, and change in stiffness etc. So the claim that the blades haven't changed is a flat lie, which is the most infuriating part of the whole thing because these statements are rarely challenged by anyone. If they did, it would be obvious.
Will check those links, thanks!
Ross