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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

differences in gait, marketed below-knee prosthetics, low-cost alternatives

College

Life Sciences

Department

Exercise Sciences

Abstract

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges that accompany the incredible advances in science and technology is making them accessible where they need to be. According to the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA), there are over 2 million American amputees, with an additional 185,000 lower extremity amputees every year [2]. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, where incomes are lower and fewer people are insured, there as many as 30 million amputees. Only a fraction of the world amputee population has access to a prosthetic limb, let alone can afford anything considered state-of-the-art. In order to help address the huge demand, the non-profit organization 2ft Prosthetics has developed a low cost alternative prosthetic foot to be distributed in developing countries, referred to as the OneSize foot. This study serves as a preliminary investigation of the ergonomics of this design and makes a comparison to carbon fiber prosthetic feet sold by certified vendors. Using motion-tracking technology, the gait cycles of volunteer amputees were measured and analyzed for potential improvements in the design to produce a more natural gait for walking. The results in this report are derived from a right below-knee amputee.

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