Van Phillips, 54, a former athlete and an amputee, has garnered worldwide attention by inventing the Cheetah foot, used by Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, in his effort to compete against able-bodied athletes in Beijing.

Phillips currently still designs for himself — prosthetics for skiing, surfing, swimming, scuba diving and horseback riding. Phillips also works on designing an affordable and sturdy but flexible foot for victims of land mines.

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