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LeTourneau Engineering Global Solutions (LEGS) is a non-profit initiative based in Longview, Texas, focused on bringing innovative, extremely low cost, high-quality prosthetic technology to people in developing nations. The focus of LEGS technology is its M1 Knee, a polycentric knee joint that meets international standards and can be manufactured locally for as little as $15 USD.〔(LeTourneau stakes claim on prosthetic invention ), ''Isaac'', Jimmy, November 14, 2009〕 ==History== Founded in 2004, LEGS is a multidisciplinary technology development program operated by LeTourneau University (LETU) in Longview, Texas. The program builds on synergies between the undergraduate educational programs of the university and faculty research interests to create a focused program of product development. Resident engineering expertise in biomechanics, materials, manufacturing and mechanical systems is combined with established prosthetics theory and practice. As a result, LEGS’ engineers design and produce new and innovative prosthetic component systems, which are highly functional and durable at minimum expense. The genesis of the LEGS Program can be traced back to when its executive director, LeTourneau University biomedical engineering professor Dr. Roger Gonzalez, was a young boy living in El Paso, Texas. During a family trip across the border to poverty-stricken Juarez, Mexico, he saw helpless, crippled children and adult amputees, unable to walk or work, begging for money along the roadsides. He remembers his father saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go you and I.” That experience had a profound impact on his young heart. In 2004, Dr. Gonzalez launched a senior biomedical engineering design project known as LeTourneau Engineering Global Solutions (LEGS). The challenge was to design and build a low-cost above-the-knee (AK) prosthetic that was durable, maintenance-free and could be easily manufactured in developing countries. “Our goal was to take advanced, first world technology and reverse-engineer the expense out of it, to produce a low-cost prosthetic that would work well in the rough, uneven terrain of developing nations." By combining in-house engineering expertise with modern assessment tools, the LEGS teams developed initial prototypes for both a prosthetic knee and foot. These prototypes were extensively tested in LETU’s labs to verify their basic performance. The teams then worked with local amputees to assess how the prototype designs would work on an actual prosthetic limb. Gait analysis sessions were undertaken using a sophisticated motion camera systems. The students assessed the patient’s stride length, cadence and energy consumption. The results of these tests were extremely positive and indicated that the team was ready for the next important step––validating their design in the harsh conditions of the developing world. In the summer of 2005, the first LEGS prosthetic prototypes were manufactured and tested at CURE International’s Bethany Crippled Children’s Center in Kijabe, Kenya. Dr. Gonzalez and four senior engineering students spent three weeks providing about a dozen disabled Kenyans, mostly children, with prosthetic legs. They also provided the raw materials to produce additional legs.〔(LeTourneau University Engineering Students Aid Disabled Kenyans ), ''The Medical News'', May 23, 2005〕 In many poor developing countries, the standard lower limb prosthetic is a “peg leg” that requires the amputee to swing the leg around from the hip, causing abnormal gait and strained muscular development that leads to long term orthopedic problems and pain. “Our prosthetic knee design leg is far more functional because it simulates natural movement, rotating freely during the leg swing and then automatically locking when they put weight on it,” says Dr. Gonzalez. “The knee is also designed to meet international performance standards as set forth by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).” 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「LeTourneau Empowering Global Solutions」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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