The tragedy of Luis Adolfo, who lost his four limbs in an accident, inspires graduates to create prostheses

Four years ago, the life of Luis Adolfo Taborda He stopped in a brutal moment: a work accident took away his four limbs. Since then, Luis Adolfo, 30, has moved around on his knees, dreaming of the possibility of standing up again and regaining his independence.

That dream, marked by resilience and necessity, became the driving force of a project of high social impact at the ITM University Institution. Graduates of the institution have taken a monumental step by developing a low-cost lower limb prosthesisdesigned specifically for Luis’s case.

The prosthesis, focused on a transtibial (below the knee) amputation, uses advanced 3D printing manufacturing techniques. However, the real revolution is not only in the technology, but in the material and its price, since it is made with biodegradable and recycled polymers.

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This choice of sustainable materials allows for a significantly lower cost, making these designs accessible to communities facing economic constraints.

For the ITM electromechanical engineers, John Edison Mesa Henao and Esteban Hincapié, the biggest challenge was precisely to ensure that, with these materials, the design was functional and economical, providing the patient with a better quality of life.

The team, including José Miguel Marulanda, an ITM graduate, focused the design on Luis Adolfo’s exact parameters to guarantee superior fit, comfort and ergonomics. “This work represents real hope for a person to regain functionality,” says Marulanda, with the vision of ensuring that people like Luis Adolfo have easy access to prostheses that transform their lives.

Luis Adolfo’s happiness when testing the prototype is palpable. For him, this accessible mechanical assistance means much more than a device: it is the key back to your life.

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“It fills me with happiness to have the possibility of measuring this prototype. Foot prostheses are the most important for me, as they would allow me to mobilize, be more independent and walk again. Despite my condition, with a prosthesis, I will be able to move forward with my life,” said Taborda.

This initiative not only reaffirms ITM’s commitment to technological innovation and social sense, but also demonstrates how engineering, when inspired by a history of pain and overcoming, can offer a tangible and affordable solution, returning dignity and mobility to those who lost it.

The dream of the graduates is to expand this development to help more people, but to do so, they hope to obtain the necessary sponsorships that allow production at scale.