As the only project developed by Vietnamese students to enter the recent final round of the ASEAN Green Entrepreneurship Hackathon 2024 and excellently won the first prize, the ‘Active prosthetic leg’ product by Flexi Leg team from Da Nang-located Duy Tan University brings hope for a quality product line at a low price for people with leg disabilities.

Flexi Leg team from the Duy Tan University excellently win the first prize in the ASEAN Green Startup Hackathon 2024. Photo: H.L

Making itself stand out from nearly 200 competing teams, Flexi Leg showed off the difference in the ‘Active prosthetic’ product with the ability to adjust the force in the foot, allowing it to flexibly adapt to each individual user. In addition, the adjustment mechanism at the calf is also intelligently designed, helping users to easily adjust up - down, wide - tight. The product uses light and durable carbon material, helping to reduce the weight of the prosthetic leg but still ensuring firmness.

Before bringing the product to the competition, the group tested it on three disabled people from the Da Nang Disabled People's Association and received mostly positive feedback.

In charge of engineering, production, and operation, Ho Ngoc Huy, a student majoring in Mechatronics, and a member of Flexi Leg, said that the product was completed at the Center for Mechanical Engineering (CME) of the Duy Tan University with 100% domestic components. Thanks to that, the cost was significantly reduced, helping people with leg disabilities in Viet Nam easily access the affordable product in the future.

In an effort to research and successfully manufacture the product, the group surveyed the size of the lower limb samples of Vietnamese people of different ages, from which they selected the common size to design a 3D model combined with detailed manufacturing drawings and successfully assembled the product. The designed product includes main parts such as the knee joint, calf and foot.

In particular, the knee joint uses a hydraulic shock absorber system, supporting flexion and extension movements and ensuring safety thanks to careful calculation of technical parameters throughout the design and installation process.

The product won a second prize in the field of technology and product manufacturing at the 6th ‘Students with Startup Ideas’ contest (SV-STARTUP) within the framework of the National Startup Festival for Students 2024 and a third prize at the final round of the Accessibility Design Competition (ADC 2023) in the Asia - Pacific region.

The ‘Active prosthetic leg’ product was highly appreciated by the competition’s judges thanks to its outstanding improvements in terms of technology, aesthetics as well as values of humanity when paying attention to reasonable prices for Vietnamese consumers.

Nong Thao Le, a student of Marketing Management and Strategy, a member of Flexi Leg, said that the idea for the product came from the fact that people with leg disabilities face much inconvenience in moving and daily activities, while imported ones are so expensive.

According to Le, most people with lower limb disabilities in Viet Nam choose low-cost prosthetic legs with low flexibility, so their gait is unnatural and their usage time is short. Part of the reason is that the price of imported active prosthetic legs is currently quite high.

For example, to install an Ottobock prosthetic leg on the knee, a disabled person must spend from VND 35 million to VND 320 million, while a Vulcan Augmetics product costs VND 25 million to VND 45 million.

According to calculations, after completion, the cost of the Flexi Leg group-developed active prosthetic product only fluctuate around VND 10 million.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Duong, Vice Principal of the School of Technology of the Duy Tan University affirmed that the prosthetic leg product has demonstrated the creativity and community spirit of the students. In addition, achieving high results in a regional competition partly confirms that the product is completely capable of competing with imported goods.

The Flexi Leg group has submitted an application for intellectual property registration for the product and set up a website and fanpage to aim at commercialising the product in the near future.

It is known that, at Hackathon 2024, the team has released Version 2, elevating the ‘Active prosthetic leg’ to new heights with many remarkable improvements. In addition to maintaining a stable product structure, the team designed a stronger and higher-quality hydraulic cylinder system to ensure stability and safety during use. A silicone foot was added to enhance elasticity, providing a more natural feeling for the user while also improving the overall aesthetics of the product.

The ASEAN Green Entrepreneurship Hackathon 2024 aimed at promoting innovation and entrepreneurial spirit focusing on sustainable development in Southeast Asia. The competition was co-organized by Universitas Islam Indonesia, Temasek Polytechnic, and the P2A organization, with sponsorship from MyTRIZ.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by A.THU