Improved my leg tonight

[5Toes]

Just thought I would share.

First off I am an amputee... surprise! Well anyways, my knees often like to put holes in my pants. It is as annoying as... aggravating too.

My last knee was a real PIA with this, it put ugly little holes all over my right pants leg. I dont have a pic of it, but you get the idea.

My new knee is wonderful in this aspect! No holes... at all! Though it is an "improvement" over the previous one (they are nearly same design), it is heavier and doesnt bend over 110 degrees. It sucks.

Now to my current knee, an ottobock 3R95 - http://www.ottobock.com/cps/rde/xchg....xsl/1927.html

It is a loaner unit, but I love it! SMALL, lightweight, and very natural. It can also bend ALOT, and a bunch of other things. It just loves to pinch holes intop my pants. So I made this cover tonight.

It is only a prototype, using what I had ON the workbench.



The cover uses: a Western Digital hard drive non static bag, duct tape, string, some elastic and one small washer.

It works by being held folded in the straight position (by the elastic), and being unfolded when I bend my knee. I used the elastic so it would fold right and not make a ripple seen through my pants. The string attached to the elastic goes through a hole right at the top of the fold as seen above. A washer keep the string secured.




When I bend my knee, the material unfolds




The hole for the string I reinforced with a strip of duct tape



Elastic setup. I just tied the string around the elastic a couple times. I then wrapped the other end in duct tape good, then put it in the vice two times to ensure it wont slip out. I then straightened my knee, gave it a little stretch and taped it down to my socket.



Half bent shot




My whole leg



A little insight to my life - enjoy

[shiftbmw]

Sweet man! Unfortunately, that's not going to last very long.

Have you considered forming a small piece of plastic or other material(carbon fiber :twisted:) to make a fixed shield that's a little more robust? You could cantilever off the thigh portion, making it short enough not to interfere or break when you kneel, but long enough to prevent your pant leg from slipping in the gap. Tap a couple of small holes to make it removable and easy to replace.

[Matt-B]

If your smart, make it something permanent, market it to the company selling leg, and tell them y you made it, and when your rich, please by some shift boots from me...

thanks

[joshh]

What about using expanding spray foam up past the knee. Cover the knee area with plastic wrap then form it and cover it with epoxy. It would be solid but would keep the pant from being pinched in the metal to metal pant eater.

[aaron325ix]

kinda cool. Whenever you get tired of your e30, you can always mod your leg. :D

[Matt-B]

his leg is probably worth more then my car :(

[5Toes]

Sweet man! Unfortunately, that's not going to last very long.

Have you considered forming a small piece of plastic or other material(carbon fiber :twisted:) to make a fixed shield that's a little more robust? You could cantilever off the thigh portion, making it short enough not to interfere or break when you kneel, but long enough to prevent your pant leg from slipping in the gap. Tap a couple of small holes to make it removable and easy to replace.

This is just a mock. I was thinking in the shower... a piece of material from a seatbelt would work perfect! and I have some in my closet so...

If your smart, make it something permanent, market it to the company selling leg, and tell them y you made it, and when your rich, please by some shift boots from me...

thanks

I might, but my idea is chintzy right now, I must improve this first.

What about using expanding spray foam up past the knee. Cover the knee area with plastic wrap then form it and cover it with epoxy. It would be solid but would keep the pant from being pinched in the metal to metal pant eater.

Well I dont want to ruin the leg by covering it in foam...

I am wearing this to school today, Ill see how it goes. The plastic crinkles and is loud, thats the only problem so far.

[bzboardz]

looks like a great prototype and with some improvements in materials could solve your problem

[TexasTerp]

little prototype! looking good!!

[rodrigo]

the idea of the fixed shield also strikes as a good idea in my mind.

if a shield-style plate is fixed on the lower part, allowing you to rest on it when kneeling, and a stretchable mesh is attached from the top of that shield to the lower-front portion of the upper knee, it may work.

keep us updated.

[87e30]

Or if you somehow attached a solid patch of stretchable cotton/nylon/elastic whatever that was solid and attached firmly to each side. (IE not duct tape)

Seems like something the company making the leg could do easily.

http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/3elasticmaterialblack.aspx

^ just did a quick google for "elastic material"


You could use adhesive velcro or something ziptie ish wrapped around the entire leg to be more secure. Just random thoughts.

[Jand3rson]

R3VLimited.com - Where we don't stop at modifying just cars... :up:

[trackjunkie21]

If your leg was carbon fiber, you'd pull more bitches than someone with a cf hood

[5Toes]

My entire socket is carbon fiber, just covered in fabric. My old knee was carbon material on the outside.

The knee on my leg now is titanium made in Austria bitches.

Well today at school the chintzy string pulled out of the duct tape mount at the top, no big deal. Thats what prototypes are all about!

So for the real deal, I am going to use a nice piece of seat belt fabric. It is bendable, looks nice, I have some already, and it is STRONG. I just now thought that, I need to be able to kneel on this too.

My Mom is sort of a seamstress, I am going to have her sew for me the string/whatever onto the piece of seatbelt, that wont break loose! I still do not know how to attach the cover to the bottom of the leg, duct tape is fine but not very neat.

I can make these to sell on ebay/amputee forums! It is sort of an universal design!

[Pinepig]

They make open cell foam in tubes. pull the foot off ( only two of the set screws that are next to each other and remember which two you loosened so you don't fuck up the position ). pull a piece on it that you have cut to the correct length, put the foot back on and trim to a leg shape with a sander, put one leg of a pantyhose on it and tape it to the socket.

I'm surprised the folks making your leg haven't done it already for ya.

Ottobock is good stuff.:D