(Photo from jaipurfoot.org)
The Jaipur Limb was invented in the 1960s by an orthopedic surgeon and an artisan who worked at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, India. They saw the desperate need of poor people who were suffering from loco-motor disabilities and devised this limb that would help them them live more independent and productive lives. The prosthetic resembles a real limb, requires very little training to fabricate and can be made for a total cost of $100 -$200US as opposed to tens of thousands of dollars.A Jaipur leg is designed for the specific needs of its most frequent users. The rural poor often go barefoot. They walk over rocky and uneven terrain. They may need to stand or walk through mud or standing water. They may not own a chair, so they spend a lot of time sitting cross-legged on the floor. And they likely use a squat toilet. None of these activities are possible with the standard prostheses in use in wealthy countries.
Link - via The Daily Beast