Paralympic snowboarder, Mike Schultz has more to show than just gold medals. As the designer of athletic-specific prosthetics and owner of BioDapt Inc, Mike Schultz is an inspiration to all watching him compete and those competing against him.
In a tragic snowmobiling accident in 2008, Mike lost own leg. Mike is not an engineer, or medical expert, but a professional snowboarder who grew up on a small farm in Minnesota. Just three months after his accident, Mike began to design a new prosthetic that would allow him to get back to the sport he loved. He described his personality saying, “I’m a garage guy, I had no technical schooling other than high school, but I’ve got a problem-solving mind and I love to create and build things with my hands, and this was the best project that I could work on to help keep me looking forward in a positive direction.” Mike’s openness to experience and lack of expertise allowed him to look at prosthetics from a different view and design something that would propel him back into competition. His prototype felt more natural and allowed him the right balance of spring and resistance that sports like motocross and snowmobiling require. Seven months after losing his leg, Mike competed in motocross at the Summer X Games using his own invention.
Mike created his prosthetic “Moto Knee” and “Versa Foot” after recognizing a hole in the industry of prosthetics for athletes. Most traditional prosthetics are unable to absorb the impact of movement and lack the spring that is necessary to return you to previous active position. In his case this would mean falling after landing a snowboard jump. Mike’s prosthetic solves these issues as it has a much larger range of motion and includes several interchangeable parts that are activity-specific whether it be snowboarding, mountain biking, or even water skiing. Mike’s ingenuity allows him to tailor prosthetics to the activity and the user making his design much more versatile than traditional prosthetics. The prominence of Mike’s creativity is evident in his ability to alter the field of prosthetics, creating something unique. As an amputee himself, he was able to relate to the needs of other amputees, and his expertise as an athlete allowed him to create a prosthetic that could enhance quality of life by improving mobility and function.
Mike took his prototype and built his own company, Biodapt, so his prosthetics may be made available to other amputees. The goal of Biodapt is to manufacture the highest quality and highly versatile components that allow amputees to participate in sports and activities. As a true spokesperson, Mike continues to personally use his Moto Knee and Versa Foot daily as he trains and competes.
Known in the racing community as “Monster” Mike, he continues to astonish the world with his drive, passion, and competitive spirit. After his accident, Mike has gone on to compete in multiple Paralympic games, winning two medals at the 2018 games in Pyeongchang, and participating at eight XGames winning a total of eight gold medals. A key moment for Mike was stepping up to the starting line at the Paralympic Games in ’18 and seeing 15 to 20 other athletes from around the world wearing his own equipment.
Monster Mike broke through the status quo of the prosthetic industry, inventing his own solution to keep competing and to keep winning. His infectious spirit and ingenuity is inspirational to all amputees, athletes, and audiences around the world.
If you want to learn more about Mike and BioDapt, see the links below:
https://www.biodaptinc.com/about-biodapt.html
http://www.monstermikeschultz.com/athlete.html
https://www.today.com/news/sports/paralympian-mike-schultz-explains-inspired-make-prosthetic-leg-rcna12465
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnnosta/2013/09/27/the-amazing-saga-of-mike-schultz-citizen-scientist/?sh=1bbd19647ee5
I hadn’t heard of Mike Schultz before, but I found it so fascinating reading about how he created his own prosthetic to be able to compete again. It is really interesting that because of his lack of formal technical schooling, he could think of a creative and unique design. I don’t usually think that people with a lack of experience in a particular field are likely to create something new and inventive, but having a different view on how to solve a problem can be crucial! I think that’s so cool that other members of the Olympic community are also using his prosthetic feet/legs and that his ingenuity has been able to allow more people to compete in a sport they love!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an awesome creative invention that I hadn't heard of before. I cannot imagine losing the ability to do something I had dedicated my entire life for, and seeing how Mike turned this terrible thing that happened to him into a positive is really inspirational. You can only wonder the emotions he was gong through as a participant at the Paralympic Games, not only overcoming his own struggles but also helping so many other people overcome theirs through BioDapt. This is a testament to the phrase "necessity is the mother of all invention." Mike needed a product that would allow him to continue snowboarding, and this need drove him to design something truly creative. Awesome work!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! It is amazing that Mike is able to help other athletes get back to doing the sports that they love. This is such an incredible invention and company!
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