1. What is the innovation of Jaipur Foot?

Jaipur Limb technology developed in Jaipur, INDIA is the most functional limb technology in the world. It has following special features –

1) The limbs made with this technology are closest to a normal human limb. The Jaipur Foot has virtually got the same range of movements which a normal human foot has. It has dorsi-flexion, inversion, eversion, supination, pronation and axial rotation allowing a amputee not only to walk comfortably, but also squat (sitting on hunches), kneeling, crouching, sitting cross legged, walking also on undulated terrain, running, climbing a tree and driving an automobile. In other words, it is an all-functional, all-terrain limb. The other limbs with SACH foot cannot have these flexions and functions. There are some Multi Axial Feet but these allow specific limited flexions and functions.

2) Jaipur Foot is cosmetically also closest to the human foot with toes etc. Once Jaipur Foot was developed many other companies in the world added these cosmetic feature to their limb products to look like normal Foot or Jaipur Foot.

3) Jaipur Foot is water proof as many other artificial limbs in the world are.

4) Jaipur Foot is a dual purpose foot. It may be worn with shoes or without shoes depending on the desire and the need of the patients. This feature is crucial for meeting the cultural needs of many regions of the world. For example most of the modern limbs can be used only with the shoes on with the result that such amputees cannot enter the temples, mosques etc and cannot pray or perform NAMAZ.

5) The normal life of Jaipur Foot piece is around 3 years.

6) The sockets for Jaipur Limb are made of polymers as is being done in case of other modern limbs in the world. While in the west co-polymer or some other polymers are used for making the sockets, these are used in the sheet form. These are heated and wrapped over the plaster of Paris positive moulds, which are the replicas of the remaining stump. This process leaves the seams or joints in the socket. This also affects their strength. In case of Jaipur Foot, the outer socket is made, not by using the heated sheets, but by using the heated HDPE pipes through a special process with the result that the outer socket is both seamless and strong. It may also be mentioned here that the HDPE pipe, unlike PVC pipe (not used in Jaipur Foot Technology) is inert and non-toxic and bio-compatible. It also needs to be mentioned that initially hand beaten aluminum sheets were being used to make Jaipur Limb sockets. This was an advancement over the wood and araldite laminated sockets which were very heavy and cumbersome. With the availability of polymers in socket making BMVSS shifted to the HDPE pipes which made the fitment modern, better and lighter. For almost a decade aluminum sockets are not at all being used by BMVSS.

7) Except where total contact socket cannot be provided because of the condition of the remaining stump of the amputee, invariably Jaipur Limb has both the total contact socket and an outer socket. For making the total contact socket the plaster of Paris is generally used. Lately BMVSS received the Sand casing technique developed by Dr. Wu of Center for International Rehabilitation, Chicago, USA. BMVSS is among the 2 or 3 limb making centers in the world using this highly efficient and extremely time saving technique for making total contact socket. As usual BMVSS is also using the vacuum forming suction system.

8) The above knee prosthesis is of highly advanced ischial containment variety.

9) While making these limbs special efforts are made to ensure correct bio-mechanical alignment. For example for the below knee limb, the combination of the in-process wall frame system of alignment used by some of the well-known prosthesis making companies of the west, is being used by BMVSS in combination with the laser in-process alignment system (used by another set of well-known prosthetic companies of the west). This combination ensures even better standardized alignment. For the above knee sockets, IPOS brims both of hybrid and ischial containment variety are used.

10) It is really a quick fit limb. A below-knee, prosthesis can be made in three hours. An Above-knee prosthesis can be made in one or two days. This is done while following all the technical requirements including those relating to alignment. The Jaipur Foot technology is such that it enables us to hold on-the-spot-limb/caliper-fitment-camps in remote areas where the limbs / caliper are custom fabricated and delivered mostly on the same day. This distinguishes Jaipur Limb Technology from other technology which send their teams twice to the camps, once for making assessment and taking measurements and secondly for fitment and delivery after a few weeks or months. It is a known feature that many of the patient do not come during the second visit meant for fitment.

11) Jaipur Limb is light weight. For a middle sized person the socket with belt and Jaipur Foot, the total weight of a below knee limb varies between 1.3 Kg. to 1.5 Kg. Similarly for a similar kind of person the total weight of the above knee limb varies between 2.25 Kg. to 2.5 Kg. (http://www.jaipurfoot.org/03_Technology_ourspecialtech.asp)

2. What is the business of Jaipur Foot?

- providing artificial and prosthetic leg for people who are amputated.

3. Who are the main beneficiaries of Jaipur Foot's products?

- those unfortunate indian community.

4. Why is Afghanistan one of the markets of Jaipur Foot?

- because of the war which results to higher number of amputated victims.

5. How does Jaipur Foot's product pricing compare with the West?

- it is cheaper.

6. What is the Gait Cycle?

- It is the sequence of motions that our body must go through every time we place one foot in front of the other.

7. How was the first Jaipur Foot artificial limb developed?

- The idea of making Jaipur foot was first conceived by Mr. Ram Chander Sharma (Masterjee) who designed and developed the foot and the limb. The Jaipur Foot was developed in 1968. The  thesis submitted in 1971 to further improve the quality of Jaipur Limb, total contact socket systems have been incorporated in below-knee prosthesis. For the above-knee prosthesis design have been changed from quadrilateral sockets to Ischial Containment sockets using IPOS brims and total contact sockets. All these improvements have been possible because of the Research & Development work supported and promoted by BMVSS Jaipur. The BMVSS is working under the leadership & guidance of Mr. D. R. Mehta and because of his Managerial background this research work could be organized.(http://www.jaipurfoot.org/03_Technology_history.asp)

8. What are the design considerations in the Jaipur Foot Design Process?

-Versatility of the artificial limbs.

9. What are the constraints in the development for Jaipur Foot?

- changes to be applied in the innovation of the next set of product lines.

10. How can you compare the raw materials for Jaipur Foot vs. other products?

- It is stretched for the possibility of being the best to innovate its product in a way that the products are to be marketed in a variation of buyers.

11. Explain a typical fitting day for a Jaipur Foot? How does it compare with the West?

- It is crowded due to the demand for such product. Compare to the west that only those people with money or resources can avail prosthetics arms and legs.

12. What is the BMVSS? How does Jaipur Foot conduct community outreach?

- Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti is an NGO. This NGO creates innovative designs for the prosthetic in partnership with ISRO.

13. Compare Jaipur Foot with Ossur - which one is more competitive? Why?

- the features are way better.

14. Is the Jaipur Foot model scalable? Explain.

- I believe that it is because the their organization is funding it for it to be available in all remote areas and they call this “camps”.

15. What is the significance of Jaipur Foot's cooperation with ISRO?

- Definitely the price, design, and durability of the Jaipur Foot for amputees.