The artificial foot

Victoria Brown is a pupil at Penicuik High School. When she was 11 years old, Vicky had a leg amputated below the knee. She therefore has direct experience of the drawbacks of current designs of artificial legs; that experience gave her the idea for her final year project in Standard Grade Technological Studies.With the encouragement and assistance of Jim Cassidy, principal teacher of technology at the school, her design was then entered for the Young Inventor of the Year Competition, funded and organised by the Rotary Club of Great Britain. Vicky won the Scottish heats and then went forward to compete in the national finals. She did not win but her project was highly commended by the judges.