A Proposed Design of a Versatile Mobility Aid for Challenging Environments

The purpose of this research is to propose an improvement of a low-end device, such as crutches that can be used in more challenging environments. The alternative design centers on crutch shoes for non-cohesive and unpaved footpaths. Another goal is to keep the cost of the crutch shoe comparable to conventional crutch shoes. For that purpose, the proposed design was made so that it could be retrofitted to the existing device easily. In the proposed design, the von Mises stresses which develop at the contact surface between the crutch and the terrain are comparable to those encountered by the human foot and considerably lower than the conventional design case, allowing the crutch to extend the range of surfaces that it can be used on. The final cost of the proposed crutch shoe will not be excessive compared to the conventional one, while offering considerable advantages with its versatility.