A Dutch student designed a device that keeps a prosthesis in place on roller coasters. It just launched at one of Europe's major theme parks.

If you wear a prosthesis and want to ride a roller coaster, you have probably already run through the calculation. The ride has a restraint. The restraint was designed for a body without your hardware. Some parks ask you to remove your prosthesis before boarding. Others let you keep it but give the ride attendant no guidance. The answer depends on the park, the ride, the shift, and sometimes the mood of whoever is staffing the queue.

The SafeStrap is a device built to change that calculus. Designed by India Hoekman as part of her final-year project at Delft University of Technology, the strap system secures a prosthesis in place during the stresses of a ride, giving parks a certified option instead of a policy conversation. It launched this year at Efteling, a major theme park in the Netherlands, after passing a safety assessment by TÜV NORD Netherlands.

What the SafeStrap does

The device holds a prosthetic limb securely at the interface point so that high forces don’t shift or unseat the device during a ride. According to the O&P EDGE report, the design went through several development and testing phases, including practical trials at Efteling itself, before TÜV NORD Netherlands completed the safety assessment.

Production and commercial sale are handled by Edge Safety. The SafeStrap is currently available to theme parks and prosthesis users, but the critical detail is the second part of that sentence: availability requires approval from the park’s own regulatory body. Efteling has that approval. Other parks do not automatically.

Hoekman developed the project in collaboration with Efteling, TU Delft, De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Technology, and KorterMaarKrachtig, the Dutch patient association whose name translates roughly as “Shorter but Stronger.” People with lived experience were part of the process from the beginning.

“From the very beginning, we worked together with prosthesis users, healthcare professionals, and Efteling to develop a solution that is both safe and practical for users and amusement parks,” Hoekman said. “I find it incredibly special that the product I designed as part of my final-year project is actually being used now.”

The problem this addresses

The access issue at amusement parks is not a fringe concern. Theme parks operate under liability frameworks that make ride attendants cautious about anything that was not accounted for in the original ride certification. Prostheses, because they vary in design, suspension method, and attachment, are difficult to categorize under a blanket policy. The common fallback is removal, or a queue-by-queue decision that produces inconsistent results.

What SafeStrap offers parks is a tested, certified product they can point to. That changes the conversation from “we don’t know if this is safe” to “here is a device that has been assessed by a recognized certification body and trialed on our rides.”

The limitation is that each park still needs its own regulatory approval for the device. Efteling is the launch venue. The path to other parks involves a separate process for each one.

What it means if you plan to visit Efteling

If you wear a lower-limb prosthesis and are heading to Efteling, the SafeStrap is now an option there. Contact the park in advance to understand which rides it applies to and how to access the device, since individual ride configurations and park-level protocols will vary.

If you are visiting other European parks, the SafeStrap is not necessarily available, and standard access policies still apply. That means calling ahead, knowing which rides require removal, and being prepared for staff who may not have a consistent answer. That part has not changed yet.

What happens next

The commercial availability through Edge Safety means other parks can adopt the device if they go through the approval process. The question is whether parks will pursue that process proactively or wait until they have a specific reason to. KorterMaarKrachtig and advocacy organizations like it are well positioned to push on that question in the Netherlands and elsewhere.

For now, Efteling is the first park with a certified, tested solution for prosthesis users who want to ride. That is not nothing. It is also not everywhere.

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This article reports on a product launched at a specific venue. Amputee News does not assess the clinical suitability of any device or prosthetic system for individual users. Contact your prosthetist with questions about how ride forces may interact with your specific setup.