Development of a Space Crutch

Investigator: Maurice LeBlanc, MS

Project Staff: Charles G. Burgar, MD and James H. Anderson, JEM

Summary: The goal of this project is to make a proof of concept crutch which will use composite materials to be ultra-light and incorporate spring shock absorption and ergonomic design. Work will be performed by the Rehabilitation R&D Center in collaboration with Sparta Corporation in San Diego, California and Stanford University ME210/310 design course.

Background: Crutches have been around for over 5000 years and have not changed much. For people who use two crutches and a swing-through gait, twice as much energy is expended compared to normal gait. Crutch users often experience repetitive motion injury in their hands and shoulders. Both underarm and forearm crutches are not terribly attractive. In short, there is room for innovation in crutch design. There are permanent and temporary users of crutches. All would benefit from improvement.

Challenge: This project is being sponsored through the Department of Veterans Affairs by DOD funding from the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, which is looking for medical applications of composite materials used for space exploration. The challenge will be to use composite materials to:

Provide lightweight to make crutches easier to use

Incorporate ergonomic design to prevent injury and decrease energy expenditure

Use the benefits of composite materials for shape, spring, color, etc.

It is an opportunity to divert from the normal, be creative and think farther out.

Goal: Using composite materials, design and develop a pair of innovative crutches which can be tested with crutch users.

Resources:

Rehabilitation Research and Developement Center at the DVA Hospital in Palo Alto.

Sparta Corporation, a company in San Diego involved in composite materials.

Findings: Work is underway in a collaborative effort between the Rehab R&D Center, Stanford ME210/310 project course, and Sparta Corporation in San Diego. Sparta is focusing on developing a conventional design crutch of composite material to demonstrate light weight. The Stanford project team is focusing on using composite material to allow innovative crutch design. The Rehab R&D Center is managing the overall project and focusing on the design of the hand grip, underarm support, and forearm support.

Funding Source: Interagency Agreement with DOD/BMDO

Years: 1998-1999