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Above knee amputee creates sporting prosthetics

Shared by Ana Duarte on 2019-06-27 10:40

About the solution

When he was at the hospital, Brian was given a prosthetic leg. Before the accident, he was a sponsored competitive skier on the track for the USA Olympic team. The doctors told him he wouldn’t be able to ski again, not the way he was used to. And there was no solution on the market that would enable him to do sports the same way.

“I would never have wanted to go through that. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t be doing the work I am doing now. I never planned to do the work I am doing now. I didn’t even know any amputees (at the time), the inventor recalled.

We joined the International Paralympic Committee’s Alpine Skiing World Cup, and came in seventh in the world and got good results. But that wasn’t enough for him.

So he came up with the Bartlett Tendon Universal Knee (BTK), a new sporting prosthetic for amputees.

BTK consists of an extensible prosthetic knee that mimics the motion and support of a human knee for sports like skiing, motorcycling, waterskiing, mountain biking, etc., thanks to an innovative tendon design. It has artificial tendons, plus a Rock Shox Monarch RT3 shocker absorber (the shock can be tuned and adjusted just like on a bike so the athlete can maximise his or her performance on the fly). It is made from 6061T aircraft aluminium, cold rolled steel, and R6 sealed bearings. There are even carbon fibre connectors on the top of the unit to limit damage to the rider’s clothing.

This innovation has been featured in museums and called a “pioneering development” in prosthetic technology.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2X4IhsN
https://bit.ly/2Nbhmf1
https://bit.ly/2Lqjqxl
https://bit.ly/31Y0VpJ

More info: https://www.leftside.life/
https://vimeo.com/103023600

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com

About the author

Brian Bartlett, from the USA, was 24 years old when he got his right leg severed instantly after getting hit by a car, in 1998. He developed the world’s first extensible sporting prosthetic knee so he could do sports again.

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