K3 Promoter Cost to Develop: $100,000 Time: 8 years Prototype | | | | | Product Gordon Link, a diabetic and foot amputee, is not looking to climb Mount Everest, run a marathon, or snowboard off a cliff. I just want to walk without stumbling like Im a drunk, he says. It may not sound like a tall order, but until he was fitted with a prototype prosthetic foot that simulates the bodys natural movements, walking on uneven ground was like navigating an obstacle course. Hitting a low spot of even one inch with my old foot was like a non-amputee stepping into a four-inch hole, he adds. Not good.
A demonstration of the newest revision of the foot is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GlryDRO9k8
K3 Promoter Cost to Develop: $100,000 Time: 8 years Prototype | | | | | Product Gordon Link, a diabetic and foot amputee, is not looking to climb Mount Everest, run a marathon, or snowboard off a cliff. I just want to walk without stumbling like Im a drunk, he says. It may not sound like a tall order, but until he was fitted with a prototype prosthetic foot that simulates the bodys natural movements, walking on uneven ground was like navigating an obstacle course. Hitting a low spot of even one inch with my old foot was like a non-amputee stepping into a four-inch hole, he adds. Not good.
I am an employee of Jerome's, and from personal experience the foot is not as loud as it seems in the video. What they did was record the sound at foot level and then they overlaid that sound with video from eye level, making it seem more audible. The foot does squeak, but in the next generation we're using newer materials and construction methods to not only remove the noise, but also to make the feet stronger and lighter.
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