Pennsylvania State University, $20,000
There are 1.9 million new amputees every year in developing countries and it’s estimated that around 80% of the world’s lower limb amputees do not have access to modern prostheses. Amparo, which means support in Portugese, is working to create simple prosthetics. The team’s technology utilizes a thermoplastic material that enables lower limb sockets to be created in a fraction of the time it takes to create traditional sockets.