Amp It Up!

It is estimated that about 80% of the world’s lower limb amputees do not have access to modern prostheses. Every year the astonishing number of around 40.000 people lose a leg in Brazil. To wear prosthesis means the amputee must make regular and frequent visits to the rehabilitation clinic to guarantee it will always be well adjusted. It is very expensive for an individual to acquire a prosthesis in Brazil, since private healthcare insurances do not cover any prosthetic components costs.
The solution created by the founding team is called AMPARO, an innovative off-the-shelf prosthetic socket that significantly lowers the costs per patient. The socket is only one component of a prosthetic leg, and acts as the interface between the patient’s residual limb and the prosthesis itself making it an individually customized component.
AMPARO will be fitted directly to the amputee's residual limb instead of using the casting method utilized in traditional socket making. it will be made out of a thermoplastic, a material that can be molded in low temperatures. This will reduce not only the number of clinic visits for amputees, but also the amount of special tooling required by rehabilitation clinics. Most importantly, AMPARO can be fitted in less time and it does not need to be handled by a specialist.

Contact: Lucas Paes de Melo, lucaspaesdmelo(at)gmail.com