Prosthetic Foot with Adjustable Flat Region
- Technology Benefits
- Easy fabrication Rapid productionCompatible with commercially available foot shells Flexible settings are beneficial to new prosthesis users
- Detailed Technology Description
- The invention is a prosthetic foot that presents a flat region for standing but that has flexibility for walking. #medicaldevice #prosthetics/rehabilitation
- *Abstract
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Northwestern researchers have developed a new prosthetic foot that has a unique adjustable flat region for standing but also has flexibility for walking. The invention uniquely enables prosthetists and users to set the length of the flat region according to their preference – longer flat regions for increased standing stability, shorter flat regions to allow increased mobility. The flat region may be particularly useful when an individual first learns to use a prosthetic foot because it provides maximum stability while standing. With increased skill and balance, the length of the flat region can be reduced, providing greater flexibility in the forefoot. One main benefit of the Shape and Roll Prosthetic Foot is that is compatible with commercially available foot shells. Furthermore, it is easy to fabricate from a solid block of plastic, requiring only simple X-Y operation on a CNC-milling machine and finishing with quarter-round CNC tools. It is highly amenable to rapid, automated production.
Prototypes have been designed and constructed. The prototypes are simple in design, and no electrical or active components are utilized.
- *Inventors
- Dudley Childress Andrew Hanson* Kerice Tucker
- Country/Region
- USA
