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A flexible socket made from locally available, reusable resources would reduce waste, carbon emissions, and aid in prosthetic use.
Start date: 1 January 2023
End date: 30 June 2023
PI: Dr Michael Berthaume (LSBU)
Co-Is: Prof Deborah Andrews (LSBU)
Dr Alex Dickinson (University of Southampton)
Globally, many prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) centres in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) use polypropylene technology, particularly for sockets. At the end of the prosthetic’s life, the polypropylene cannot easily be reused or recycled. Carbon emissions associated with the production of the polypropylene and international shipping of the polypropylene additionally creates a large carbon footprint. When worn without a silicon lining, as is common in equatorial countries like Sri Lanka, the rigid sockets can be uncomfortable. Changes in residual limb volume due to weight gain or lose affects socket fit, increasing the risk of medical issues like skin lesions. A flexible socket made from locally available, reusable resources would reduce waste, carbon emissions, and aid in prosthetic use. Using co-design approaches and a team with design, sustainable economy, anthropology, mechanical engineering, and P&O expertise, we will design a flexible, breathable prosthetic socket for use in low-resource settings. Given our connections, we will focus on war amputees in northern Sri Lanka. We will run a digital co-design workshop for ideation of a self-gripping lower-limb prosthetic socket, focusing on reusable local resources with low carbon footprints, bio-inspiration (e.g., gecko adhesion), and toys (e.g., Chinese finger traps) for inspiration. It will be prototyped and tested in London. The socket will likely have a hierarchical design utilizing stiff and flexible materials to provide support and flexibility. The socket will be designed to fit a wide variety of residual limb morphologies, reducing the time manufacturing and fitting sockets in P&O centres.