(FORT COLLINS, Colo) — When Garrison Hayes was only six years old, his life took a sudden turn when doctors discovered osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in his left leg. His options were limited, and led to having his leg amputated.

“They amputated about mid-thigh,” Hayes said.

Despite losing his leg, the surgery allowed Hayes to play sports growing up, as he used a prosthetic foot to do so. But the foot he used didn’t always work for him.

“It was heavy, kind of bulky, and it didn’t really respond the way I wanted it to,” Hayes said.

Hayes wanted to look at changing that, so when he arrived in Fort Collins to attend Colorado State University, he met students like Justin Rudrow and Thomas Leachman in engineering classes. Eric Gutierrez-Camaho joined the group after Hayes began work on the project in August of 2024. Liam Van Dyke found out about the project from one of his business professors

The five, along with Lilly Lindstrom, formed a group and united in one goal: to create a prosthetic foot that would change the market. That’s when they created the Goldilocks Foot.

Courtesy: CSU Photography

“We created a revolutionary foot shell that is composed of a lot of structure and gears,” Gutierrez-Camacho said. “It’s made out of Polyamide 12 material, which is a polymer that is elastic.”

The goal of using the elastic is to allow for more flexibility and customization for those looking to get a prosthetic foot. Part of the prototypes are made in Gutierrez-Camacho’s dorm room with his 3-D printer. The parts take up to three days to create, which means Gutierrez-Camacho has to find a way to get his sleep without the machine waking him up.

“I bought a headband that has headphones on the sides, so I cover my eyes and put on some white noise and then go to sleep that way,” Gutierrez-Camacho said.

Less than a year into their project, the prosthetic foot has already gained steam at CSU, as they have taken home prize money from research showcases held on campus. While the foot has had early success, it is too early to put it on the market.

Courtesy: CSU Photography

Hayes told FOX21 News the foot will have to check a few more boxes before their product hits the market. But in the meantime, they’ve already laid the foundation for the future, creating their own company, Mediflex Prosthetics LLC, in which they continue working on and perfecting the prosthetic foot, so they can sell it after each group member graduates. The group hopes to make their mark in the prosthetic foot market while changing the game along the way.

“I like to think that in ten years our company will be the leading standard of customization, to [let people] have their own personalized foot,” Leachman said.

The group also wants to make their product more affordable than other prosthetic feet, as they have set their price tag between $2,000 and $2,500. The grout tells FOX21 News the typical high-quality prosthetic foot can cost $3,000 or more.