The Laci Brace: A more Comfortable and Affordable Brace for Childern with Walking Bisabilities
School Name
Center for Advanced Technical Studies
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The target audience are children that have walking disabilities and also low income families. This is important because the original ankle-foot orthosis is not comfortable for the children and the ankle-foot orthosis can be very expensive and some families can't afford it. My motivation to make this brace is my little cousin, Laci 5. She has Spina Bifida and she had to wear an ankle-foot orthosis to make her legs stronger and to help her get a more normal walk.The original ankle-foot orthosis do not really have a padding to protect the foot from the brace.The problem I am trying to solve, the ankle-foot orthosis isn't really affordable for the working class and it is not comfortable for the children with the walking disabilities. The material I am using is thermoplastic beads to make the shape of the brace, velcro to keep the foot inside the so the foot wouldn´t slip out the brace when walking, rivet nuts to connect the bottom and top of they brace so the child wearing the brace would have mobility when walking, and elastic band to it can help the brace snap back when walking.
Recommended Citation
Washington, Zanaia, "The Laci Brace: A more Comfortable and Affordable Brace for Childern with Walking Bisabilities" (2022). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 95.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2022/all/95
Location
HSS 111
Start Date
4-2-2022 10:15 AM
Presentation Format
Oral Only
Group Project
No
The Laci Brace: A more Comfortable and Affordable Brace for Childern with Walking Bisabilities
HSS 111
The target audience are children that have walking disabilities and also low income families. This is important because the original ankle-foot orthosis is not comfortable for the children and the ankle-foot orthosis can be very expensive and some families can't afford it. My motivation to make this brace is my little cousin, Laci 5. She has Spina Bifida and she had to wear an ankle-foot orthosis to make her legs stronger and to help her get a more normal walk.The original ankle-foot orthosis do not really have a padding to protect the foot from the brace.The problem I am trying to solve, the ankle-foot orthosis isn't really affordable for the working class and it is not comfortable for the children with the walking disabilities. The material I am using is thermoplastic beads to make the shape of the brace, velcro to keep the foot inside the so the foot wouldn´t slip out the brace when walking, rivet nuts to connect the bottom and top of they brace so the child wearing the brace would have mobility when walking, and elastic band to it can help the brace snap back when walking.
