Award-Winning Prosthetic Leg Design and Loctite Adhesives Support Mike Schultz’s Victory in Adaptive Motocross
Henkel-sponsored adaptive athlete Monster Mike Schultz showcased his athletic prowess and self-taught engineering skills when he took home the gold in the Moto X Adaptive Final at X Games Los Angeles 2013 on August 3. Throughout the competition, Schultz – Popular Science magazine 2013 Invention Award winner and an above-the-knee amputee – sported the prosthetic leg that he designed and built specifically to allow him to compete after a life changing accident took his left leg in 2008. The prosthetic leg design relies upon Loctite adhesives and sealants to remain secure and reliable throughout the physical demands of competition.
This was the fifth gold medal for Schultz in X Games competition and his second consecutive gold in Moto X Adaptive. Schultz outraced a total field of six Moto X amputee riders, several of whom also used Schultz’s prosthetic leg design. In the final, Schultz battled fiercely to take the lead during the 12-lap race, edging out Todd Thompson who took the silver, and Chris Ridgeway who earned bronze.
In addition to athletic competition, Schultz is the founder of Biodapt, Inc., a manufacturer of prosthetic knees and feet for professional and amateur athletes. Designed to withstand extreme impact and repetition, Schultz’s prosthetic designs feature two critical joints. The Moto Knee uses a linkage, coupled with an adjustable 250 psi FOX mountain bike shock absorber, to regulate the joint’s stiffness. For sports requiring critical toe pressure and ankle tension, the Versa Foot ankle assembly uses a similar pneumatic shock absorber to emulate joint resistance. The specialized joints that are sealed and secured with Loctite retaining adhesives, create an impact-resistant, waterproof prosthetic. Schultz, a hobbyist designer with no formal engineering training, won Popular Science magazine’s 2013 Invention Award for his prosthetic limb design.
Schultz has a simple explanation for his commitment to racing and prosthetic engineering. “For me, it’s important to show people that if something bad happens like you end up losing a limb, it just takes a little determination and the right tools to get back to living life and having fun. I’m so glad to be able to do something worthwhile that helps other people.”
Information on Mike Schultz is available at http://www.biodaptinc.com/, http://www.monstermikeschultz.com/, www.facebook.com/pages/Monster-Mike-Schultz-5/300526306626404, www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-04/medicine-firm-footing.
Information on Loctite at X Games Los Angeles 2013 can be found via social media at www.twitter.com/Loctite_Xtreme, and at www.facebook.com/loctite. At the Team Loctite X Games tab on Facebook, visitors can find behind-the-scenes photos, videos, trivia questions and more.
For more information on Henkel’s sponsorships, visit http://www.henkelna.com/sponsorship.
