Optimization of Natural Fiber Prosthetic Socket Manufacturing Method for Sierra Leone

About

Sophie Thompson, undergraduate student in chemical engineering, aims to optimize a manufacturing method for prosthetic sockets made of natural fibers from locally-grown plants such as banana trees for communities in Sierra Leone where typically-used materials for sockets such as carbon fiber are expensive and difficult to source.

Solution & Impact

Based on promising preliminary results, natural fiber sockets stand to improve access to prostheses for communities in tropical and limited resource environments such as Sierra Leone, enabling higher quality care and mobility outcomes for patients.

Features

  • Developing a sustainable, affordable, and effective medical device.
  • Collecting data, optimizing manufacturing methods, and testing performance of natural fiber prosthetics.
  • Demonstrating comparability of natural fiber tensile strength and bendability to those of carbon fiber.
A young woman in safety glasses and gloves works at a lab bench, preparing banana fibers with tools, clamps, and paper cups scattered on the table.

This project received MAD Funding.