肉肉传媒

KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 13, 2023

A 肉肉传媒 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 Mark Geil received a grant from the National Institutes of Health鈥檚 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to fund the work.

鈥淭he NIH realizes that a lot of small businesses don't have the research infrastructure that universities do, and a lot of universities aren't great at product development, marketing and all the things that small businesses are good at,鈥� said Geil, who is also associate dean for research in the . 鈥淚'm a researcher, and that's what I know. The NIH project puts the two together.鈥�

Geil, along with students in the (MSPO) program, will work with Little Room Innovations, an Atlanta-based company that creates artificial limbs (prostheses) and corrective braces (orthoses). Little Room co-founder Harrison Bartlett 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. It also helps that KSU has the Southeast鈥檚 newest master鈥檚 program in prosthetics and orthotics.

鈥淏ecause there are so few MSPO programs in the country, you are automatically noticed as a university that works in the prosthetics and orthotics and rehabilitation science space,鈥� Geil said. 鈥淪o that was a bit of a magnet for us, which is a really positive thing.鈥�

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 肉肉传媒 State鈥檚 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.

鈥淭he process of this NIH grant will be to take the prototype and put it on people who have a long residual limb and use the current low-profile foot that we think is too stiff,鈥� Geil said. 鈥淎long with the stairs and slope, we鈥檒l test the foot in the biomechanics lab to make sure people can move efficiently with the flexible foot.鈥� 

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鈥檚 team. Two students enrolled in 肉肉传媒 State鈥檚 Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program will use their required Capstone projects to work with Geil on the effort.

Geil said KSU鈥檚 helped get a patent for the prototype, too, which increases the speed at which Little Room can get the foot to market and patients who need it.

鈥淥ne of the nice things about the SBIR mechanism is we're in a phase one trial now, and hopefully the results will be promising and will move to a phase two, which is longer term,鈥� Geil said. 鈥淚t's getting it out in the world with a lot more subjects.鈥�

鈥�      Dave Shelles

Photos by Darnell Wilburn Jr.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 肉肉传媒 offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 肉肉传媒 State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 肉肉传媒 State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.