Gallery: Stanford Whizzes Develop an Astoundingly Cheap Fix for Clubfoot
"Photos by" Jeff Yang01feet-15
A pair of Stanford students named Jeff Yang and Ian Connolly have developed a modern treatment for Club Foot that is equally functional, affordable, and attractive.
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Clubfoot affects one in every thousand newborns and causes their feet to turn inwards, making it look like they're walking on their ankles.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang03feet-12
Surgery can correct the condition in most cases, but post-operative physical therapy involves years of wearing an ugly, uncomfortable, and expensive "orthopedic brace" that consists of a pair of clumsy shoes separated by a steel shank.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang04feet-10
Adding insult to injury, these thoroughly low-tech braces cost more than iPads, generally coming with a $300-700 price tag.
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The braces are designed to hold the patient's feet in a specific position that strengthens muscles and helps the feet develop properly.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang06feet-17
The inventive aid was the result of a course on "[extreme affordability](http://extreme.stanford.edu/)" at Stanford's D.School, an institution set up by IDEO veterans to inculcate students in design thinking methodologies.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang07feet-18
After talking with physicians, parents, and representatives from Miraclefeet, the designers employed the standard D.School process—uncovering latent user needs through ethnographic fieldwork and bodging together prototypes to solicit feedback from stakeholders, resulting in a design that solves many of the key problems.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang08feet-13
"Many of the lower-end braces are just literally curved aluminum rods," says Yang. "Physicians will bend metal over the end of a chair while talking to the parents."
"Photos by" Jeff Yang09feet-19
Therapeutic guidelines call for very specific adjustments to the posture of the children's feet, but when braces are being fabricated in exam rooms, aids can often be misaligned. Yang and Connolly's injection molded solution brings consistency to the caregiving process.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang10feet-16
A simple improvement was allowing the shoes to detach from the brace using a custom cleat. This makes it easier for parents to slip the shoe on a crying toddler before attaching them to the apparatus.
"Photos by" Jeff Yang11feet-04
D.School administrators were approached by an organization called [Miraclefeet](http://miraclefeet.org/) that endeavors to treat clubfoot in the developing world that was looking for a low-cost product.
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Detachable shoes also give children the dignity of wearing their own footwear rather than being forced to don smelly hand-me-downs that have seen 10 other feet.
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Yang and Connolly's design does have drawbacks—being a single part design means patients will need a new brace as they grow.
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Rubber padding on the bottom of the brace makes it feel like a sneaker.
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The result is a brace that costs about $20, potentially making it a disruptive technology in the developing world and a potential game changer in the United States.
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Before this brace becomes the standard of care, it will face challenges. In parts of Brazil, doctors often stay faithful to less effective solutions because they make more money delivering them.
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The designers plan to put it before the FDA, which would allow it to be sold in the U.S. The designers hope to get off on the right foot in 2014 and put over 15,000 units into circulation by the end of the year.
