The design of standard crutches has remained more or less the same since their invention: you put some sticks under your arms and use them to support your body weight instead of putting the weight on your injured leg. Industrial design student Behzad Rashidi studied this outdated century-old design and came up with a brilliant new idea.

The Sit & Stand Walking Assistant is a smart, hands-free alternative to crutches that uses a wearer’s thigh rather than arms to support the injured leg.

The leg with the injury is strapped to the Sit & Stand at the ankle. At the top of the Sit & Stand is a small platform that supports the upper thigh. Another strap holds the thigh in place.

As the user walks, their weight is supported on the little platform. This takes the pressure off of the injured lower leg and lets the wearer walk freely without using his or her arms.

When the wearer gets tired – which is bound to happen when using an assistive device to walk – the Sit & Stand lets them simply lean back onto the platform to rest.

Since the Sit & Stand uses the healthy part of the injured leg to support the user’s weight, the hands are free to carry objects, open doors, and do all of the things that traditional crutches make nearly impossible.