Abdul Karim Naqvi

Pakistani social entrepreneur who created the world's first low-cost prosthetic limbs using bicycle parts

Abdul Karim Naqvi (1942-2018) revolutionized prosthetics manufacturing in Pakistan through his Bicycle Leg Project started in 1975. Witnessing the struggles of landmine victims and polio survivors, he developed affordable prosthetics using bicycle chains, gears, and rubber tires. His designs reduced costs from $1000 to $30 while maintaining functionality, enabling 15,000+ amputees to regain mobility. Naqvi's Lahore-based Wheelchair and Limb Trust trained over 500 technicians across South Asia, creating a replicable model adopted in Afghanistan and Nepal. His 1987 manual Engineering Hope became a global reference for low-cost prosthetics. Naqvi's work inspired the ICRC's 1990 prosthetics initiative, and his methods are still taught at MIT's D-Lab. In 2005, he received the RSA's Charles Jencks Award for social innovation. His legacy continues through the Naqvi Innovations Foundation, which now produces 3D-printed prosthetics.