Confidence By Design: The Assistive Technology Powering Adaptive Athletes
Reading Time: 4 minutes
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Summary:
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UA students 3D-print a custom prosthetic leg cover for an adaptive athlete
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Lightweight, snap-together design protects clothing at a fraction of commercial cost
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Built using additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, it’s fully customizable to any prosthetic
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Developer says solution has potential to help amputees worldwide
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A lightweight, two-shell leg cover—custom-designed, 3D-printed, and built to snap together in seconds—is about to change what it means for prosthetic users to get dressed. Developed by students at The University of Alabama (UA), the prosthetic cover was engineered to solve a problem that expensive off-the-shelf solutions never quite could: protecting clothing from the sharp edges and irregular contours of a prosthetic leg without weighing the wearer down or breaking the bank.
The device was built for Michael Auprince, assistant coach for UA’s men’s wheelchair basketball team and a former elite competitor who has played at the Paralympic level. But its designers say the technology has potential far beyond any single user.
Jesse Park, president of Tikkun Olam Makers—the student-led organization behind the project—told the UA News Center that combining 3D printing with frugal innovation enables the creation of accessible, innovative products that enhance lives.
Engineering a Better, More Affordable Solution
For Auprince, the frustration was practical and personal. His prosthetic repeatedly tore through dress pants, creating a problem that compounded over time—damaging clothing, draining money, and chipping away at confidence.
Auprince shared that whenever his prosthesis tore through his dress pants, his self-confidence and how he interacted with others were also affected.
Existing commercial covers were either too expensive, poorly fitted, or both. So, Park and his team at Tikkun Olam Makers—an organization focused on designing practical assistive technology for people with disabilities—saw an opening.
Their solution was a two-piece cover that mimics the shape of a biological leg. Produced using 3D printing, the design is fully customizable to accommodate any combination of prosthetic and biological leg measurements. It snaps together without tools and is light enough that wearers hardly notice it.
The prosthetic cover, created by the students, is designed to be lightweight and can be quickly assembled by snapping the pieces together. (Image: UA News Center)
The team relied on The Cube, UA’s large-format fabrication facility, to produce parts that standard desktop 3D printers couldn’t handle. Prototypes were refined iteratively—adjusting designs on CAD software, printing, and testing—with Auprince involved throughout.
Park stated that the team prioritizes consulting with the end user. During the development of Auprince’s prosthetic cover, the designers considered his suggestion to mimic his biological leg, leading them to build prototypes, refine designs in CAD, and create functional 3D-printed solutions.
From the Lab to the Basketball Court
For Auprince, the impact was immediate. The prosthetic cover allowed him to get dressed without thinking about what it might cost him in torn fabric or in confidence.
He described it as lightweight, customizable, and confidence-boosting, enabling him to concentrate entirely on coaching. He also noted that the cover is simple, user-friendly, and affordable—qualities that amputees desperately need.
Now with the prosthetic cover, Auprince can focus on his passion for coaching. Born with a congenital condition that left one leg nearly nonfunctional, he chose amputation at a young age—a decision that opened doors to international competition, collegiate athletics, and eventually a coaching career at Alabama. He has competed at the Paralympic level and drawn on an Australian upbringing, professional experience, and years of high-level play to shape how he works with UA’s athletes.
A Model for Accessible Innovation
The prosthetic leg cover is one of several projects Tikkun Olam Makers has pursued with a focus on underserved needs in the disability community. Park says the organization deliberately targets problems that larger manufacturers overlook, as assistive technology bridges gaps in daily life. Furthermore, the organization’s goal is to create accessible solutions for lesser-known disabilities.
For Auprince, the prosthetic cover is proof that the right solution doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It just has to work.
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