Gizmodo: crutches

Freedom Leg Looks About 1,000,000x Better than Crutches

Mark Wilson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:59:39 EST

Crutches. In a thousand years, their design hasn't fundamentally changed. And for something as minor as a sprained ankle or broken foot, the Freedom Leg looks like a welcome alternative.

A light, 2.5lb exoskeleton, the Freedom Leg moves all of your body weight from your injured foot to the prosthesis frame and your upper leg, meaning that you can walk pretty much like your used to while you heal up. And while I welcome resident doctors to list all of this product's flaws in the comments, to my pea brain, the idea seems so obvious and simple that it just might work. [Forward Mobility via medGadget via OhGizmo!]

Crutch Chair Design Transforms for Impromptu Sitting

Kit Eaton — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:18:32 EDT

Ever broken a leg? Know how much hassle it is to stumble around in crutches? Designer Yong-Rok Kim's Crutch Chair is intended to be a partial solution to the problem of knackering yourself out when walking like this. The two halves of his design snap together to form a neat seat-like thing so you can take the weight off your injury. Seems a darn sensible idea. With just one concern: that connection. Will you break your other leg when it gives way as you sit? Death by crutch it shall be! It's just a concept— we imagine it'd be boring gray or "medical pink" if it were ever made real. [Yanko design]

QED Crutches: Look Good Even When You Feel Bad

Addy Dugdale — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:35:25 EDT

Great colors, these crutches. They make a change from the usual scratched steel pair with a tatty sticking plaster running up the side with "Weemawee General Infirmary" scrawled on it in biro. These are from German design firm qed*, who like to make everyday life "more pleasurable and sensible" - hmmm. The only drawback that I can see with these, though, is that they are not adjustable. Doctor Ruth and Yao Ming, these crutches are not for you. – Ad Dugdale

Product Page [qed design via MedGadget]

Foldable Crutches

rhbaby — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:52:46 EST

To prevent adding insult to injury, these foldable crutches make it easier for someone to put away long, awkward crutches when they are not needed. The innovation was driven from need, as one of the designers at Astro Design in San Francisco uses crutches. Starting as an arms-length pod these crutches can easily be stowed or carried—the leg folds out and the foot extends when the crutches are put to use.

Folding Crutches [The Design Blog]