Human centred design for a new generation of prosthetics for active use – knee joint

Around 0.5% of the world's population require a prosthetic leg, over 350 million people, mostly in developing countries. Each year there are around 350,000 new above- knee leg amputations, 1,800 in the UK. Our vision is to build a lightweight, high-performing, affordable prosthetic knee to meet the needs of active children and adults worldwide.

3B Impact works with innovative companies to scale solutions to social challenges. We have a strong record delivering early-stage grant and private investor-funded innovation and commercialisation.

We established Cambridge Prosthetics Innovations Limited (CPIL) with an experienced materials' scientist and lifelong prosthetics wearer, and a leading rehabilitation consultant at Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. They were frustrated with the increasingly expensive and complex devices that fail to meet users' needs and set out to create a new generation of prosthetic limbs that are more versatile, reliable, affordable and available in the UK and worldwide.

With National Institute of Health Researchfunding, CPIL and 3B Impact have previously developed a concept knee that replicates natural movement and is more versatile and lower cost than existing solutions. We have also established strong relationships with charities that work with prosthetics users in the UK and in developing countries, and with the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research.

The funding will bring biomechanical and human-centred design expertise to build on this concept, specifically to:

1. significantly improve our design through expert digital modelling and simulations,
2. engage with stakeholders and bring human-centred design expertise to deepen our understanding of user needs and behaviours and further improve our design
3. manufacture a new prototype ready for testing with a pilot group, and
4. assess the market and plan our route to commercialisation.

Our solution takes a radically different approach to prosthetics that is inherently human-centred. First, where currently manufacturers see children as a small, difficult market, we see them as a starting point for an active lifestyle. Our prosthetics are designed for running, jumping, tying shoelaces, sitting cross-legged, showering, and playing on the beach and in the sea, without needing to remove or change the leg. No other prosthetic is designed for these activities, regardless of cost. Second, where existing manufacturers look to increase costs and complexity to try to replicate natural movement, our solution uses clever designs and modern materials to generate the forces for natural movement. More like a sports shoe than a heavy, robotic moon boot.