In the video above, Stanford graduate students Jeff Yang and Ian Connolly demo their design for a brace to correct clubfoot in a way that's comfortable and functional for the children who need it, and reasonable for their families to afford. The $20 device uses injection molded plastic attached to cleats to hold a child's legs in an upright position so that they can strengthen the muscles they need eventually to maintain the posture without assistance. It also allows them to stand and move around with ease, and the device looks more like a toy than a restraint.
Yang and Connelly visited Brazil to learn more about the birth defect that affects one in 1,000 children whose feet appear to be rotated internally. There, clubfoot is commonly treated using rigid, ineffective metal braces, notes this video and an article on Wired.com. The students began working with the organization Miraclefeet during a Stanford D.School course titled "Design for Extreme Affordability" and put their design into action at a hospital in São Paulo.
Previously: Support for robots that assist people with disabilities, New documentary focuses on Stanford’s Design for Extreme Affordability course and Improving treatment for infant respiratory distress in developing countries
Photo in featured entry box from Design for Extreme Affordability
