At Rice University a team of students has designed a stand to help patients getting fitted for leg casts to remain upright during the procedure. It can be tiring to use traditional parallel bars borrowed from gymnasts to keep yourself vertical, but that’s a common tool at the Hanger Clinic, a specialist in prosthetics and orthotics in Austin, Texas. The folks at Hanger were hoping for a better way, which was the motivation for the Rice students to build their project.
The Castaway stand has adjustable arm rests that are raised or lowered to match the height of the patient. The weight of the patient rests on the forearms rather than the hands, allowing even heavier patients to remain upright.
Because a greater range of patients can take advantage of the Castaway compared with parallel bars, clinicians are able to produce a more precise fit for orthotics and prosthetics that leads to more comfort and fewer problems in the long run.
Here’s a Rice video with the engineering students discussing their project:
Team website: Castaway casting stand…
Via: Rice…