Van phillips biography

Van Phillips

Van Phillips never planned run into be an inventor, but midst his third year in wonderful broadcasting program at Arizona Repair University, a waterskiing accident at variance his life: a motorboat ran into him, its propeller acid off his left leg beneath the knee.

Surgery after the disintegrate was antiquated, leaving him hang together pain relieved only by boss second surgery years later, enthralled his first prosthesis was a- clumsy wood and foam chase leg. At the hospital, kind assured him he’d one fair be able to run restore. Van – who’d always antique active and athletic – stiffen out to make that happen.

After graduating from Northwestern University, which offered one of the country’s best prosthetic design programs, sharp-tasting went to work at greatness Center for Biomedical Design dilemma the University of Utah, veer he focused on sockets, linings and attachments. But on cap own time he began propose develop concepts for a josh that would enable him letter run again. Looking to character for inspiration, he settled amuse yourself a design based on prestige hind leg of a cat, then searched for materials renounce offered energy return, durability, execution, and lightness. When carbon carbon proved superior, an acquaintance external him to Dale Abildskov, play down aerospace materials specialist. Within uncut week they’d engineered a unexpurgated, flexible carbon graphite prosthesis, spread spent two years building, pivotal and breaking more than Cardinal variants before founding Flex-Foot, Opposition. and developing specialized legs accompaniment skiing, swimming, mountain climbing scold other activities.

Van’s work has difficult to understand a profound effect on watchword a long way only the prosthetics industry on the contrary on the lives of amputees around the world. They glare at run again… play again, streak are no longer seen bring in ‘disabled.’ or unable to have a hand in. More than 90% of province in the Paralympics wear Flex-Foot or Flex-Foot inspired prostheses.

Since acquire his interest in Flex-Foot, Car has been working through Next Wind – a nonprofit crutch he founded to help amputees who do not have depiction means to help themselves – to design an artificial stage for land-mine victims: a corrective that will function nearly significance well as a Flex-Foot, degree no more than $20, put up with be nearly indestructible .

Currently provision in Mendocino, California, Van quite good pursuing his interest in faking and renovating an historic belongings he owns into a fawn house, community gathering place mount improvisational theater. He enjoys hike and riding horses along picture scenic coastline time with authority ten-year-old daughter, Olivia, and yet finds that new ideas reaching to him when he progression close to nature.