What? Cool, ergonomic, sustainable, and comfortable? Could they be crutches?
Comfort hasn’t always been the first element considered in the design of crutches, but Mobilegs’ inventor, Jeff Weber (creator of several Herman Miller chairs), had ergonomics in mind, as well as sustainability and style, in his crutches for the 21st century.
Jeff Weber with his new invention, Mobilegs: © Popular Science
How did Weber go from designing chairs to designing crutches? Necessity, of course. A backyard fall set him on a pair of last century’s crutches and his discomfort moved him. The underarm pads compressed the soft tissue under his arms. The straight down structure of the crutches forced an unnatural posture. And the horizontal bar handles put strain on the wrists, enough to cause secondary trauma. "People are not constructed to walk on their arms," Weber glibly told Popular Science magazine.
Weber’s new Mobilegs, which were named Best of What’s New in Health, 2010 by Popular Science, are exactly that: mobile. The underarm supports move with the angle of the user’s arms. Their mesh saddles, rather than the traditional rough rubber, makes them even more friendly.
Mobilegs by Jeff Weber: © Mobilegs
Mobilegs by Jeff Weber: © Mobilegs
Mobilegs’ grips are shaped for right and left hands, just as shoes are shaped for right and left feet.
Mobilegs by Jeff Weber, left handed Mobileg: © Mobilegs
And the tips of the Mobilegs are curved to roll forward with each step. The whole support actually facilities movement.
Mobilegs by Jeff Weber, left foot!: © Mobilegs
Ecologically minded, Weber makes the Mobilegs lighter too, by using 30 percent less aluminum than is used in regular aluminum crutches, and the injection molded shoulder supports, handles, and feet are made are completely recyclable.
Ergonomic, ecologically responsible, and pretty cool looking too… for the same price as last century’s crutches? Go ahead. Break a leg! Mobilegs Universal and Mobilegs Ultra are now both available on Amazon.
sources: Mobilegs, Herman Miller, Popular Science
Mobilegs are available from the Mobilegs website and on Amazon.here and here.
