Fast Company covers Creo customer College Park Industries with an Olympic twist:
Don’t forget that directly following the Olympics comes the Paralympics. Those amazing athletes will have the benefit of this cutting edge technology to help them try to medal.
Scott Sulprizio was an avid hang glider until the day in 2001 that he injured his ankle while practicing the sport. A bone infection and many surgeries later, he was told that removing his foot altogether might be the best option. After the final surgery, Sulprizio did something that would eventually change the lives of other amputees: He designed a new kind of prosthetic foot–one that is going to be used by multiple athletes in this year’s Paralympic Games.
In this year’s Paralympics, Team USA athlete Matt Brown will throw discus wearing the Soleus, and Japanese athlete Maya Nakanishi will compete in track and field with the prosthetic. “I am surprised by the durability of the springs. I weigh 270 pounds and put a considerable amount of stress on the foot. The Soleus has upheld its strength and flexion, and if anyone could put the Soleus to the test, it would be me,” Brown explained in a letter to College Park.
