PROS PE CT P RO ST HET IC
BL ADE
CLE AT
Designed by
Josiah Harris Weston Rivell
P ROSP EC T P R O ST HE TIC
B LADE
Designed by
Josiah Harris Weston Rivell
CLE AT
PROJECT STATEMENT
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RESEARCH 8 DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
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FINAL DESIGN
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THANK YOU
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PROJECT STATEME N T
PROJECT STATEMENT T HE S C O P E ` The current method amputees use to play field sports is cutting off the sole of a cleat and taping to their running blade. This method is ineffective because the cleat is designed for a foot with an ankle which functions much differently than a prosthetic running blade.
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RESEAR CH
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T HE NE W ATHLETI C FRON TI ER TH E B L ADE IS AT IT S P E A K . Since its introduction in the 1980s the running blade has become increasingly ubiquitous for use by active amputees. Although fundamentally unchanged, it has been developed and ref ined to the point that amputees are using it to compete at the highest level with traditionally conf igured runners.
RESEAR CH
F RO M T H E T R AC K T O TH E PIT C H . Now athletes are taking the running blade and using it to compete at a high level in many different f ield sports in leagues both reserved for amputees and with traditionally conf igured people.
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... TO TH E GR IDIRON. The most prevalent use of the blade is in football. As a sport, it prides itself on promoting toughness and strength of will. These traites are key in recovering f rom an amputation and getting back out on the f ield.
RESEAR CH
P RO VING WH AT IS P OSS IBL E.
The two most notable amputee football players right now are Kody Kasey and Koni Dole, both just f inished playing at a collegiate level.
K O DY K A SE Y G e org e t ow n C olle g e NA I A 2 0 13 - 2 0 17 D e fe n s ive B ack / K ick Re t u rn e r Lo s t l e g f r e s h m an y e ar o f col l e g e af te r i n -g am e i n j u r y an d r e s u l t i ng comp l i cati on s .
K O NI DO LE M on t an a S t at e NC A A Di v i s i o n I 2 0 14 - 2 0 17 L in e back e r Lo s t l e g j u n i o r y e ar o f h i g h s ch o o l . C oach e s at Nu b A b i l i ty , an ath l et i c camp f o r ki d s wi th mi s s i n g l i mb s.
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R UN NI NG P ROSTHETI C S
RESEAR CH
TH E 4 M AJOR P L AYERS .
These companies each sell running blades. In the US, Ă–ssur leads the market in sales as well as presence through its partnership with Nike.
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T R AC TI O N D E VI C ES Each company that produces a running blade also produces a traction device to create a better interface between the blade and running surgace
S OL UTIONS F OR EA CH B L ADE
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Looking at these devices in terms of intended activity there’s an obvious gap for f ield sports
CA TEGO RIZ ING TH ESE DE V IC E S
RO AD/T RAIL RUNNIN G
TRA CK R UNNING
F IEL D S P OR T S NO PR O D U CT S ADDR E S S T H I S N E E D
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C U RRENT METH OD F O R FI EL D SPO RT S
Currently the method these top players use to prepare their blade for performance on turf is cutting the sole off of a cleat and taping that to the bottom of the blade.
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D.I. Y. D OES N ’T WORK
B LA DE S L IP P IN G DUE T O L AC K OF TRA C T ION
You can see here that using a cleat taped to the running blade does not provide enough traction to perform a lateral cut maneuver.
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T R AC TI O N D E VI C ES L ATERA L ANKL E RO L L OVE R IS KEY Current cleats use vertically oriented studs, these work on a traditionally conf igured leg because the ankle provides pronation and supination a.k.a. lateral rollover. This lateral rollover creates a flat interface between the sole of the foot and the ground, allowing vertically oriented
RESEAR CH
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FLEXION I S EAS IL Y RECREA TE D
FLE XI O N
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You can see in running, the blade easily recreates the necessary flexion of the ankle.
F L E XI O N
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A N KL E ROL L OVE R IS NO NEXISTAN T
S UP INATION
PRONATION
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When an amputee takes the f ield and needs to pronate or supinate their ankle to plant flat on the turf, the blade can not perform this function.
STIFF
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POT E N TI A L M ARK ET The problem may seem niche right now, but as more and more amputee athletes prove what can be done with a blade, more people will realize their own abilities on the pitch. And in the US alone, this population is fairly large.
in the US alone
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AGE First, we want people who are of the age to be active, thus people under the age of 44.
AC T IV IT Y Second, we would not consider people who lost their limb due to vascular disease which is related to poor health and an inactive lifestyle. Thus, we are looking at people who lost their limb due to trauma.
INJ UR Y T YP E Lastly, people who have a minor amputation of the foot wouldn’t use a blade thus we need people who loast a part of their leg above the ankle.
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IN T E R V I E WS + I N SI G HTS R IC K H O FFM A N President, World Amputee Soccer Assoc. Amputee soccer is a game played on crutches without the use of prosthetics. However Rick still had some helpful advice for us noting a need for a decent sole that would provide better grip on down grades especially with diff icult surfaces such as grass, sand, or ice.
R OBE R T + D I A N E K A S PE R Co-Founders, OnTheEdge CF Robert and Diane stressed the importance of using a scientif ic approach to testing with controlled variables. Additionally, they stressed the importance of f inding the right materials to meet our performance requirements.
C OBY UN G E R Former Artist in Residence, Autodesk Coby already had experience with prosthetics while working on a customizable arm at Autodesk. His main advice to us was to f ind a client and design specif ically to their needs or else we would f ind ourselves making too many assmputions.
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J AC K L A W A L L CEO, Lawall Prosthetics Jack Lawall loaned us a running blade off of which we could model our device. Additionally, he was clear that f inding a commonality between our users is important as most athletic prosthetics are custom jobs to each person.
AL I E L - K E R D I Director, JeffU Kinesiology Ali shared with us the importance of focusing on how the traction in the feet affects the whole body language of the athlete. If we compared the posture of someone using a prosthetic to someone who isn’t we could gain a lot of valuable insight.
J EF F K L E M E N S Professor, JeffU Biomimicry Jeff discussed with us how we could draw f rom certain animals to enhance our project. He mentioned certain insects that need to protect themselves with durable exteriors while still affording themselves the ability to move around.
M IKE A V E R Y Physical Therapist Mike helped us focus on the direction of the project. Offering guidance and advice when we lost focus on the scope and moved too far away f rom our base.
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CL IE N T K OD Y K ASE Y
We reached out to Kody to gain better insights and considerations about what changes when an athlete has to use a running blade on the f ield. He helped us reaff irm, clarify, and add to the research we had already done.
RESEAR CH
KE Y C O N S I D ERA TI O N S ANK L E ROL L OV ER Kody conf irmed our major hypothesis about ankle rollover. He discussed the inability to gain traction at harsher angles and how this leads to having to take more steps on the cut, slowing him down and making it harder to explosively change direction in game.
CLEA T L AYOUT Cleat layout is another major issue. The studs on a traditional cleat sole are laid out to respond to the needs of a foot. But the blade interacts with the ground much differently thus there is an need for a new layout that focuses on placing the cleats in more effective locations and facing different angles.
H EIGHT DIF F E R EN C E A new insight was that of the height difference between Kody’s left foot and his blade with an extra attachment on the bottom. Attaching a thick sole to the blade meant the right side of his body was raised up enought to make it noticably more awkward to move with the blade.
TAKIN G ON AN D OF F Kody discussed the pains coming f rom having to aggressively tape a cleat to his blade. Not being able to take it off means more wear on the studs when he walks to and f rom the f ield. Additionally, switching out sole means ideally having 30 minutes and access to an athletic trainer which isn’t always available. This meant a need for something you could take off and put on as easily as a cleat.
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T HE B R I E F
Improve performance for amputee athletes who play f ield sports and open the door for novice athletes to stay on the pitch after the loss of a leg.
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Design a traction device for a blade style prosthetic which recreates lost ankle movement, provides proper stud placement, and is easy to attach and detach.
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DE S IGN C R I TE RI A K E Y GUID EL INES F OR S UCCE S S
EFFECTIV E
First and foremost our device needs to be effective, recreating lateral ankle rollover and providing the best traction and performance for athletes using a blade.
C OMPATIBLE
Second, it needs to be compatible with synthetic turf. At this point the use of turf is becoming more common than grass in college and high school and the layout of the cleats should reflect that.
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S YM BIOTIC
Third, our device needs to be symbiotic, meaning it wikk work in harmony with a running blade, f itting well and improving the functionalities in the necessary ways while being easily removed.
ATTRACTIVE
Our device needs to be attractive. Sporting equipment is not only about being effective and providing the latest technology, but it is about style and conf idence on the f ield.
D URABLE
And f inally, this needs to be durable. The average cleat can last about the length of a season under intense usage and we would expect no less f rom our device.
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PE R F O R M AN CE REQUI REM EN T S M IN. T E M P E R A T U R E Our device needs to perform at bitter cold temperatures without becoming brittle or cracking while in use.
M AX . T E M PE R A T U R E Withstanding 180 degree temperatures means our device will safely withstand being left out in the sun and sanitization cycles in a dishwasher without warping.
T OUG H NES S
400lbs
Playing on grass or especially turf means constant abrasion to a device such as a cleat. Our device needs to withstand this abrasion and impacts under a 400 lb athlete without showing immediate signs of wear.
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2bar
4
months
WAT ER R E S I S T A N CE Our device needs to withstand exposure to water at low pressures meaning it can perform in wet conditions or be washed repeatedly without becoming waterlogged or deteriorating.
L IF E S P A N This device needs to last as long as a traditional cleat. This means being used intensely 4 to 6 days per week it must last at least 4 months before its ability to perform noticable becomes worse.
F L E X IBIL I T Y
90 shore hardness
Flexing in harmony with the blade is key. Focusing on the actionable area of the blade our device needs to be able to flex at least 15 degrees f rom its inital conf iguration.
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DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 39
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FUN C TI O N AL I N SP I RA TI O N EXPLO RING DIF F E R EN T S T Y L E S O F T R A CT I O N
CR A M PO N S Crampons use aggresive prongs to provide traction on ice f rom small grades to perpendicular walls and beyond.
WRAP AROUND STUDS Nike’s HyperAgility cleats have studs that wrap aggressively up the sides to provide solid traction at severe angles and high speeds.
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 41
EVA MIDSOLES EVA midsoles are the basis of any running shoe, providing not only comfort but traction and an ability to adapt to many different bending and twisting forces.
HIKING BOOTS Hiking boots provide all over traction for a smooth ride over rough, unpredictable terrain.
B A R V S PO I N T S T U D S Point studs provide multidirectional traction while bar studs are better for monodirectional traction and pivot areas.
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SKETCH I N G T O UNDERST AN D We started by sketching the patterns of popular hiking boots in order to analyze and understand the ways in which patterns are developed to create greater traction.
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 43
EXPLO RING IDE NT IT IE S From there we explored different form factors, imagining what this device would look like if it was born f rom a cleat, a hiking boot, or a running shoe. We also explored what the top of the foot might look like.
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CREA TING AN ATTITUD E From those initial explorations we started brainstorming a more def ined form and a clearer attitude for the project
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 45
I N T R O D U CI N G T H E MIDSOLE One of our f irst big ideas was including a softer midsole combined with harder outsole to attempt to recreate ankle rollover.
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DEVELO P ING FUNCTION AL IT Y From those initial explorations we started brainstorming features and a clearer attitude for the project
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 47
PU S H I N G T H E M I D S O L E FU R T H E R We worked to imagine what could be more could be done with the midsole, developing the idea of creating sections that could also recreate the natural movement of the foot.
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CO NCEP T 1 - WRAP Uses cleats angled outwards to initiate grip at aggressive angles and force the blade to begin pronating and supinating
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 49
CO NCEP T 2 - P IV OT FL E X Uses an elastomeric insole with a cleat plate that levers back and forth along a central rib to recreate ankle pronation and supination
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CO NCEP T 3 - S P IN E Spines running up each side of the blade allow cleats to move and compress while spreading out the force to increase durability.
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T
CO NCEP T 4 - ARC H IP E L A G O A series of separate midsoles with studs create independently moving zones that can react to any action.
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M AT E R I AL S RESEA RCH P O LYURETH AN E Polyurethane is a plastic that has durability and elasticity properties which make it the ideal choice for any cleat sole.
ETH YL ENE- V INYL AC ET AT E ( E V A ) EVA is commonly used as padding in sports equipment and for the shock absorbing midsole in running shoes. It’s ability to compress allows it to conform and adapt to many different forces.
NY LO N 11 Nylon is a plastic that has impressive performance in terms of toughness, wear resistance, and weight. Snowboard bindings use glass-reinforced nylon to create extra stif ness however nylon 11 works best for us providing better impact resistance and flexibility.
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 53
AUXETICS Auxeric materials are unique in that they have a negative Poisson’s ration which makes their behavior counterintuitive to that of most materials we come across on a normal day. This negative Poisson’s ratio means that an auxetic material becomes thicker when stretched along its length and thinner when compressed.
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PR O PT O TY P E S 1 EVA Hardness:
90
105
220
90
1 50
220
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 55
90
105
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150
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220
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T E ST IN G TR I P 1 C OL UMB US, OH IO 2 / 2 4 / 1 8
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 57
We made a weekend trip to Columbus, Ohio to meet up with Kody Kasey, our onf ield expert for this project. We spent the day trying out all of our prototypes and discussing performance and feeling of the cleats.
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T E ST IN G NO TES 1
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slim prof ile cuts down on height difference
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cleats aren’t big enough to make a noticeable difference lots of polyurethane supports running through the EVA makes the sole too stiff to conform to the ground
separate areas of EVA allow for a lot of movement and cushioning
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long studs along edge are ineffective in terms of traction texture in center of cleat provides no extra traction
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 59
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angled cleats have promise
soft EVA allows for greater compression, mitigating height differece minimal PU on outside allows for lots of movement by cleats large, agressive cleats near edges create a lot of grip.
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outer layer of polyurethane completely engulfs EVA which allows for no cushioning
traction is to high compared to durability, we got a few nice cuts f rom this test but it still ripped quickly
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SKE T C H I N G 2 These sketches focused on developing a draw latch system to better hold on the cleat, and a lattice system that would allow a lot of lightweight flexibility while providing strength and durability
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PR O T OTY P E S 2
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 63
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T E ST IN G 2 GEO RGETOW N , KE NT UC KY 3 /1 9 /1 8
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 65
For our second round of testing Kody was back on campus at Georgetown College in Kentucky. We were able to benef it f rom the better
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T E ST IN G NO TES 2
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 67
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having the EVA core respond to the cleat system helps the sections work together and be more durable
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thick sections of polyurethane near edge cut down on flex
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T E ST IN G NO TES 2
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 69
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extra surface area adds flex slight additions of PU near edge increase durability without losing too much flex
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leaving wide open sections cause the EVA to deform while molding
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T E ST IN G NO TES 2
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 7 1
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thin stripe PU core down center creates really nice rollover effect EVA core near heel helps with slowing down for cuts
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forward-backward oriented lattice doesn’t prevent rippage
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T E ST IN G NO TES 2
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 73
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wider area allows for cleats to wrap up over edge, increasing durability and traction
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too much PU support causes stiffness
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FINAL S K E TC HI N G D EVELO P IN G DURABIL IT Y A N D A E STH ETIC S IN H ARM ONY
DESIGN & DEVEL OPMEN T 75
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F IN AL DESI G N 77
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E F F E C TI V E
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BESPO KE C L E AT L AYOU T The cleat layout has been redesigned to work on a prosthetic. Angled cleats around the midfoot provide traction at all angles to aid in quick lateral movements. Meanwhile, wide cleats in the back provide forward and backward traction to help start up and slow down as quickly as possible.
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E F F E C TI V E
F IN AL DESI G N 81
RECRE AT IN G NAT URA L MOVEM EN T The polyurethane core within the EVA aids in creating lateral ankle rollover in the midfoot while cutting. As the core approaches the heel, it widens out, providing more stiff ness and support in this area that needs little movement f rom the foot.
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COM P ATI B L E T U N E D FO R T U R F The cleat was designed for and tested on synthetic turf, the smaller more populous studs are a result of that. This decision was driven by the growing use of synthetic turf in high schools and colleges.
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SY M B I O TI C
EASY F IT The cleat will slide snugly onto a running blade, using the draw latch mechanism to create extra tightness to hold itself in place even during intense play.
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ATT R A C TI V E
CONTENDER
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CO L OR WAYS F OR D AYS
Like any piece of sporting equipment, the Prospect cleat provides a f ramework which can be updated season to season with colors and f inishes to provide different attitudes for different styles of players.
CHA MPIO N
O L Y M PI A N
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DU R A B L E
F IN AL DESI G N 89
MATERIAL S ARE KE Y
The materials were careully selected to provide the most performance and durability over the longest period of time. Additionally, the lattice structure and spurs help the cleats hold onto the EVA while in use.
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M ANU FA C TU R I N G
F IN AL DESI G N 91
N YL O N F AB R I C W / S T E E L B AR A N D SE W N - I N M AG N E T I N J E CT I O N M O L D E D N Y L O N W / G L UE D- I N M AG N E T
I N J E CT I O N M O L D E D N YL O N
CO M P R E S S I O N M O L D E D E V A FOAM
I N J E CT I O N M O L D E D P O L YU R E T H AN E
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T E ST IN G 3 P HIL ADELPH IA, P A 5/ 6 / 1 8
F IN AL DESI G N 93
For our f inal round of testing, Kody flew out to Philadelphia to meet up with us. For our f inal prototypes we made copies of the same concept, so we only tested one.
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T E ST IN G NO TES 3
F IN AL DESI G N 95
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improved EVA, outer lattice, and cleat pattern provide even greater traction, softness, and imitated ankle rollover the midfoot shows no signs of wear
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the toe area survived an hour of testing, but ended up being torn off by the end of it
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M O V IN G FO RW A RD W HAT’S NE X T ? Although the year is over, our project has great potential and we will still be moving foward to see how far we can take this.
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FILING PROVISIONAL PATENT PERFECT TOE AREA OF CLEAT APPLYING FOR FULL PATENT LICENSING INVENTION TO PROSTHETICS COMPANY
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T HANK Y O U W E ’D LIK E T O T H AN K T H E FOL L OW ING P EOP L E F OR H E L PI N G U S MA KE IT T H R OUG H EACH S T A G E O F TH E P RO C E S S AN D BUI L D S OMETH ING T RUL Y M EANI N G FU L .
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KODY KAS EY T OD C OR L ET T ODD KR AME R M ARK H AVE NS M IKE L E ONARD M IKE AV ERY J AC K L AWAL L R IC K H OF F MAN AL I E L -KERDI R OBE R T KAS P ER DIANE KAS P E R C OBY UNG ER J EF F KL E M EN S T H E JE F F ERS ON INDUS T RIAL DESI G N C L AS S OF 2 0 1 8 C AR OL YN H ARR I S P E T ER H ARR IS DOREE N R IV EL L J OH N R IV EL L