Prosthetic Accessory Wins Top Prize

A new prosthetic accessory that is worn on the residual limb of a transtibial amputee was awarded the grand prize at the fourth annual PennVention competition for student inventors at the University of Pennsylvania's Weiss Tech House in Philadelphia. This year's PennVention competition drew 50 student invention submissions, featured 11 student finalist teams, attracted six corporate sponsors, and involved more than 20 local entrepreneurs in the judging of the final business plans.

College of Engineering senior Chrysta Irolla won $5,000 cash to develop the Proteza SmartSock, a prosthetic sock containing technology that alleviates discomfort and prevents the skin breakdown commonly referred to as "pressure sores." The SmartSock prototype is made of a sweat-wicking material and uses a pressure-relieving system to ease the strain on a prosthetic limb wearer's skin.

After working in China with lower-limb amputees, Irolla developed the concept for a prosthetic sleeve using a combination of pressure sensors and dielectric elastomers to redistribute force and relieve pressure. "Right now all the products that exist on the market are very passive, they're just cushioning, and I'm creating an active redistribution system," Irolla said.