Keen Mobility
to minimize impact and optimize movement
of the user. Credit: Keen Mobility
A Keen Idea Grows into A Multi-Million Dollar Business
Crutches, wheelchairs, and other assistive technologies increase mobility immeasurably for people with physical disabilities. But those devices can cause additional medical problems when used over long periods of time. Faced first-hand with this paradox, one innovative E-Team created a solution that benefits tens of thousands of disabled people.
Born without legs, Vail Horton grew up overcoming challenges that might have stymied many adults. Diagnosed in college with osteoarthritis resulting from long-term use of crutches, Vail spearheaded a team of fellow University of Portland students to create a safer, more stable crutch. An NCIIA E-Team grant supported the multidisciplinary team—made up of physiology, engineering, and business students working with faculty advisors in nursing and financial administration—as they developed an ergonomic alternative.
Today Keen Mobility, co-founded by Horton and his college roommate and E-Team partner Jerry Carleton, earns millions of dollars in revenue every year with an expanding range of durable medical goods that improve the health and comfort of people with disabilities.
Read more: Keen Mobility's profile on the NCIIA website
