Tools used again
A phone-guided workflow, measurement tools, a reconfigurable former, and fit-checking equipment are intended to serve many patients.
Early-stage research project
A step toward accessible prosthetic care.
Qadam is exploring a portable fitting kit that could bring more of the prosthetics clinic to communities with limited access to specialist care.
The concept is in development. No clinical fittings or performance claims have been validated.
Qadam قدم means “a step forward.”Discover
01 / The need
Care should be able to travel.
For people in refugee communities and other underserved settings, prosthetic care can depend on specialist time, workshop equipment, reliable power, and replacement parts. We want to explore a way to bring more of that work closer to the people who need it.
Our proposal is a reusable fitting toolkit carried with standardized components. A trained technician would use it with clinical oversight to measure, form, check, and refine a socket. The person wearing the limb would keep a durable mechanical device, without electronics to charge.
This is a design goal, not an available clinical service. Safety and fit must be demonstrated before patient use.
02 / The approach
One portable system. Three essential parts.
The case is a working hypothesis. We are testing whether a small, repairable toolkit could make fitting more practical where a conventional lab is difficult to reach.
Parts for each person
Socket materials, liners, pylons, feet, and connectors would be selected and fitted for the individual, then replenished as needed.
Clinical oversight
A certified prosthetist must help define safety criteria and supervise validation. The proposed process cannot replace that judgment today.
03 / Proposed workflow
Fit is the work that matters.
Our design puts the more complex tools in the fitting process and keeps the finished limb mechanical. The workflow below is proposed and remains to be tested.
Read the design brief- 01
Measure
Capture the residual limb’s shape and plan the target socket geometry.
- 02
Form a trial socket
Set a reusable former by hand and create a check socket for assessment.
- 03
Evaluate and refine
Check fit against criteria established with a prosthetist. The sensing and safety process still needs validation.
- 04
Finish with appropriate equipment
A definitive socket requires controlled heat and power. This step is not yet field validated.
04 / Where we are
The important questions are still open.
Qadam is at the concept and research-planning stage. The first task is to test whether a manually set former can reproduce a clinically useful shape. If that fails, the design must change.
Explore the repositoryNext evidence we need
- GeometryCompare proposed stave layouts with real rectified shapes.
- MaterialsTest how a forming skin bends, stretches, and resists sag.
- Clinical safetyDefine acceptable error and validation criteria with a certified prosthetist.
No patient fitting is planned before a supervised safety process is validated.
05 / The people
People behind the idea.
We are working toward a more practical path to prosthetic care and inviting engineers, clinicians, and partners to challenge and improve the concept.
Learn why we started Qadam
06 / Get in touch
Help test the idea.
We would value critical input from prosthetists, engineers, field partners, and people working in refugee health. Tell us what we are missing.
Start a conversation.
If you have a question or a perspective that could help, send us an email. Please do not include patient information.
Email the teamzoraizmohammad@gmail.com