New publications
Quality and inexpensive prosthetic legs have been created
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Massachusetts developers have created high-quality nylon-based prosthetics.
Modern medicine can offer patients many models of comfortable, lightweight and strong prostheses that will allow the patient to live and move fully, despite the disability. But such modern devices have one very significant "minus" - their high cost. Perhaps in the near future the situation will change for the better: medical engineers representing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have completed work on new nylon prostheses. Their peculiarity is that along with strength, lightness and durability, their price is significantly lower than that of manufactured analogues.
According to the researchers, the method they proposed allows the size and rigidity of the device to be selected individually for each patient: it is enough to know only the person's weight. If the patient is missing only one leg, the manufacturing process becomes even simpler and the prosthesis is made automatically.
The authors of the work say that their approach is truly original and accessible.
"Often, engineers began making a prosthesis by attempting to reproduce the shape of the foot and ankle joint. We did it differently, focusing on the functionality of the limb structures. The foot we created has an elongated configuration: we wanted to maximize its functionality. We also wanted the shape and organization of the prosthesis to have a minimal impact on a person's ability to walk and move, without affecting their gait," the specialists explained.
In order to implement their development, engineers from Massachusetts carefully analyzed the nature and progression of the ankle and foot movements. They assessed the effect of a person's weight on their motor ability, taking into account the reaction of the joints when placing on the supporting surface and the shift in the center of gravity at the moment of performing a stepping movement. After that, the scientists created a digital model that included the collected information. This allowed specialists to obtain the optimal functional dimensions and configuration of the device.
Nylon was proposed for the production of the largest elements of the prosthesis. This material allows for the adjustment of the rigidity of the device, adapting it to the specific body weight of the patient. In addition, nylon significantly reduces the cost of producing the prosthesis.
"The most common passive prosthetic devices for legs today are made of carbon fiber. Their cost can range from one to tens of thousands of US dollars. The artificial prosthesis that we created has a cost of only a few hundred dollars," the scientists say.
Read more about the development on the pages of MIT News.
[