By some estimates there are six to nine million people in the United States who have a curvature in the spine known as scoliosis.
It’s most often diagnosed around ages 10 to 15, which is a time when a lot of people are very self-conscious about their bodies and their looks.
So new patients aren’t always thrilled about the most common treatment, which is wearing a big bulky back brace for long periods of time.
The good news is that braces have been getting smaller and more wearer-friendly in recent years.
And the newest prototype back brace?
You could even call it stylish.
It’s called Airy, and it’s the work of designer Sangyu Xi, who wanted to create a brace that was effective, but also felt good to wear and looked nice.
Airy has a spiral shape and padding that comes in five colors.
It’s eye catching in a good way.
Plus, it’s simple enough that most wearers can do the fitting at home instead of at a clinic or an office.
Airy connects to a smartphone app that tracks how well it’s working.
And while other braces have to be replaced as a wearer grows, this one can adjust along with that growth; they last around three years.
So 10-15 year olds won’t have to brace themselves for, well, bracing themselves.
Today in 1960, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski hit a World Series-winning home run against the New York Yankees.
There’s only one known video of that landmark homer, and it came from singer and movie star Bing Crosby.
His wife said he’d been too nervous to watch the team live, so he had a company record the game for him on 16 millimeter film.
That film, by the way, was found in Crosby’s wine cellar in 2010.
‘airy’ scoliosis brace is designed for young girls to wear with comfort and confidence (designboom)
Pristine film of ’60 Series Game 7 found (ESPN)
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Screenshot from the James Dyson Award channel on YouTube