Sara Ghassemi

Iranian biomedical engineer who pioneered affordable prosthetic limbs for developing nations

Sara Ghassemi (b.1972) revolutionized prosthetics through her work at Tehran University's Biomechanics Lab. Her breakthrough came in 1998 with the Adaptive Prosthetic Limb System, a design that reduced production costs by 70% while improving mobility for amputees in resource-poor regions. This innovation was showcased at the 2000 World Rehabilitation Engineering Conference, leading to partnerships with UNICEF and WHO. Ghassemi's 2000 journal article detailed how her modular design could be locally manufactured using recycled materials. Her work directly impacted over 150,000 amputees in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by 2005. In 2001, she co-founded Mobility Matters International, a nonprofit that trains local technicians. Ghassemi's TED Talk "The Future of Prosthetics Is Here" (2003) remains a foundational resource in biomedical ethics. Her team's 2004 collaboration with MIT engineers produced the first solar-powered prosthetic knee joint, now used in 34 countries. Ghassemi's legacy includes mentoring 120+ engineers through her NextGen Mobility Initiative, continuing to transform global healthcare access.