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Students Create $20 Prosthetic Leg -- and It Works!
Students in the school's Biomedical Device Design and Evaluation program started the JaipurKnee Project, and challenged themselves to create a fully-functioning prosthetic leg that could be manufactured for a very low price. Clearly, they were successful, creating the above, fully-functioning appendage for just $20 in parts and production costs.
In order to improve upon the sorts of limbs currently used in developing countries, the team first studied high-end titanium knee joints, which cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. It then explored standard materials found in cheap prosthetics around the globe, and, eventually, came up with the design for a self-lubricating knee joint made from an oil-filled nylon polymer, significantly cutting production costs.
The team's main goal is to produce and distribute some 100,000 joints over the next three years -- hopefully for even less than the current price of $20 a pop. [From: DVICE]
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Comments
4
Subscribe to commentsBill Mc GowanApr 20th 2009 11:09AM
This sounds like "The Man In The White Suit" scenario. The big time limb manufacturerers will not allow it to happen.
LaurenApr 20th 2009 11:26AM
I am glad it is being publicized. Congratulations to the students who worked on such a worthwhile project. This could mean so much to so many. I hope it is picked up by someone who can see it manufactured at a low price in quantity. The companies who rip everyone off with the unbelievable amounts they charge for such a necessary piece of equipment should be ashamed of themselves. Wheelchairs and braces are the same way.Go Stanford!
Keith HubbardApr 20th 2009 2:30PM
This article just goes to exemplify how much our current medical system is composed of thieves. It mentions $10K for a prosthetic limb. These students built one for $20. I grew up with a young man who lost his arm in a car accident, along with losing his mother who was driving at the time. We'd often play with his prosthetic arm with modifications, various "attachments", etc. I remember it was quite expensive and he ultimately had paid for three of them. One was the standard "hook", another with a plastic "hand" so it wouldn't be so obvious, and the third was a sort of "pincher" looking thing. The third was our experimental model, we'd modified that so much. It was awesome and he got a lot of use out of it. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
xbplaya1122Apr 20th 2009 6:40PM
lol pretty soon you will be able to buy prosthetic limbs at wal mart lol