Transcript The Cheetah Flex Foot

Lauren McDonough
BME 281 Short Presentation
November 28, 2012
What is The Cheetah Flex Foot?
 A prosthetic limb for lower
leg amputees
 Amputations below the
knee
 Can be altered for use by
some above the knee
amputees
 Designed for use by
athletes
 Specifically runners
 Is currently used by many
professional, Olympic, and
Paralympic athletes
A Brief History
 Designed by Van L. Phillips
 He gained interest in
created a prosthetic for
athletes after loosing his
foot in a water skiing
accident
 Developed in 1997
 Has not undergone many
major changes since
 The current product is
produced by Ossur, a
company out of Iceland
The Design
 Designed to mimic the function




and reaction of a normal foot
and ankle
Made of carbon fiber
Has the shape of a “J”
There is a socket to attach the
prosthetic to the remaining part
of the leg
“When weight [is] applied by
landing on the heel, it [is]
converted into energy that
literally put[s] spring into the
step, simulating the spring
action of the normal foot and
allowing the wearer to run and
jump.” (Bio Medicine)
Advantages
 Allows amputee athletes
to continue to fully
participate in the sports
they love
 Is able to very closely
mimic the normal
functions of a foot and
ankle
 Is durable
 Is light weight, made of
carbon fiber
Disadvantages
 The controversy surrounding
weather the use of The
Cheetah Flex Foot gives
athletes an unfair advantage
over able bodied athletes
 In 2008 the Court for
Arbitration of Sport (CAS)
determined that the use of
prosthetic limbs in
international competition
was permitted
 Extensive studies
scientifically proved that
athletes gain no unfair
advantage from the use of
the limb
Future
 Technology used to
create prosthetics for use
in other sports
 Technology used to
create a prosthetic limb
for use in sporting
activities by above the
knee amputee’s
Works Cited
 “Disabled Athletes in Olympic Games”. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.thefinancialexpressbd.com/more.php?news_id=140076>.
 "Inventor of Ossur's Flex-foot Nominated for European Inventor
of the Year 2008." Inventor of Ossur's Flex-foot Nominated for
European Inventor of the Year 2008. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://news.bio-medicine.org/?q=medicine-news-1/inventorof-ossurs-flex-foot-nominated-for-european-inventor-of-theyear-2008-17044>.
 “Ossur Flex-Foot Cheetah." Oscar-pistorius. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.oscarpistorius.com/about/oessur-flex-footcheetah>.
 "Cheetah”. Cheetah. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.ossur.com/?PageID=13462>.
Photo Works Cited
 http://money.cnn.com/gallery/technology/2012/09/07
/9-superhuman-prostheticinnovations.fortune/index.html
 http://www.core77.com/gallery/superhuman/26.asp