Final Activity Report Summary - SHAPE&ROLL TALON (Roll Talon: Innovation bridging high and low prosthetic technology.)
The purpose of this research project was to develop a prosthetic foot -the Shape and Roll Talon-that allows individually tailored heel heights and thus adaptation to an individual's personal shoe, improving functionality and providing equal opportunities for persons with amputations. Adaptation to different heel heights is important to ensure the alignment of a prosthesis is kept optimal. Currently, only a handful of prosthetic feet exist that allow adaptation to different heel heights compared to over 250 prosthetic feet for a constant, usually flat heel. We used a different approach to develop the Shape and Roll Talon.
Its functionality is based upon a theoretical principle representing the combined function of the physiological ankle-foot complex in the direction of walking. This theoretical principle represents the ankle-foot complex' function as a roll-over shape that can be characterised as a circular function. A simple manufacturing solution was sought to create a product that incorporates this principle allowing all markets to benefit from the development.
The result is a prosthetic foot that combines high functionality with ready affordability therefore making it ideal for either higher income countries needing to control spiralling health expenditures, or lower income or developing countries, calling for financial accessibility to rehabilitation technology.
Its functionality is based upon a theoretical principle representing the combined function of the physiological ankle-foot complex in the direction of walking. This theoretical principle represents the ankle-foot complex' function as a roll-over shape that can be characterised as a circular function. A simple manufacturing solution was sought to create a product that incorporates this principle allowing all markets to benefit from the development.
The result is a prosthetic foot that combines high functionality with ready affordability therefore making it ideal for either higher income countries needing to control spiralling health expenditures, or lower income or developing countries, calling for financial accessibility to rehabilitation technology.