Michigan man turns old bike parts into prosthetic legs; gives design away for free

A Michigan man has been turning discarded bicycles into prosthetic legs while also teaching others how to make them, all for free. Ben Hogan, a former bike mechanic and prosthetist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, founded Project Bike Leg, an initiative that makes prosthetics sourced almost entirely from repurposed bike parts. He hopes his low-cost design can eventually help millions of amputees around the world, according to a report by PEOPLE's Toria Sheffield.Hogan worked at the Michigan State University Bikes Service Centre as a student 20 years ago, where he learned to repair bikes. Bike shop general manager Tim Potter trained Hogan. “When I think about it, you know, I mean, it sometimes will tear you up,” said Potter.Hogan revealed that it all began with a random encounter. “I had a chance encounter with an amputee that walked into a bike shop I was working at in Los Angeles in 2011,” he said to the outlet. “He showed me his prosthesis unprompted, and it really informed me of how much a bike and a prosthesis had in common.” “After [later] shadowing some prosthetists at UCLA, I made the connection that it was my calling,” he added.Moreover, he shared that his desire t...