From left, Geil and Bartlett showcase the prototype prosthetic foot that is under development.
A Kennesaw State University (KSU) researcher is partnering with a local company to refine and test a new type of prosthetic foot that enhances function for people with long residual limbs. Professor of exercise science Mark Geil, PhD, received a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to fund the work.
Geil, who is also associate dean for research in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, along with 2 students in the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program, will work with Little Room Innovations, an Atlanta-based company that creates prostheses and orthoses. Little Room co-founder Harrison Bartlett, PhD, contacted him several months ago, and while Geil said the initial contact surprised him, his background in engineering as well as his successful track record in research no doubt helped lead company officials to seek him out.
Geil and Little Room are testing a prototype that improves upon the traditional rigid prosthetic foot by using a triangular keel inspired by the suspension used in pickup trucks. That keel will make the new foot more flexible and versatile for people with longer residual limbs. Geil said KSU’s MSPO fabrication lab has a couple of different slopes and a set of stairs that are useful for testing the new prosthetic foot in everyday activities.
In addition to development of the device, the grant will pay people with limb loss to participate in studies, as well as pay for a high school student with an interest in biomedical engineering to participate on Geil’s team.
