Otto Bock HealthCare has received the international da Vinci Award® for its C-Leg®. The award was presented at a gala ceremony September 29 in Dearborn, Michigan. Speaking at the event was Bob Lujano, a quadruple amputee and wheelchair rugby player who was one of the stars of the Oscar-nominated film Murderball. Lujano lost limbs below the elbow and above the knee in 1979 due to meningococcemia. The da Vinci Awards honor outstanding engineering achievements relative to design process, product design, and applied research related to accessibility and universal design issues. Otto Bock, based in Duderstadt, Germany, with North and South America headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, developed the C-Leg in 1997. Responding to input from more than 13,000 C-Leg users as well as prosthetists, Otto Bock has unveiled the new C-Leg with added features: * A standing mode that gives wearers the ability to easily lock the C-Leg at a variety of flexion angles so patients can relax while standing; * A handheld remote to switch between modes; and * Adapting Swing Phase Dynamics for slight adjustments to swing flexion resistances without the hassle of an office visit. Also honored at the event, titled, "A Celebration of Innovation," were: * The National Center for Accessible Media, Boston, Massachusetts, for technical solutions that enable people with optical or acoustic damage to watch and listen to films; * The University of Chicago, Illinois, for training equipment that improves walking ability of patients who have suffered strokes or spinal cord injuries; * Telbotics, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for videoconferencing and robotic technology to enable children to be part of a classroom when they are unable to attend school due to disability or other conditions; * The Sendero group, based in California, for its development of a GPS-supported navigation system specially designed for blind persons; and * BlueSky Designs, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Eureka!, Endicott, New York, for the Freedom camping tent for the disabled. The da Vinci Awards are the brainchild of Michael J. Rokosz, formerly a research scientist for Ford Motor Company, who in 2000 brought together the chief professional officers of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), Michigan Chapter to discuss an idea he had that would draw on the strengths of the organization and create a venue for highlighting architectural and engineering achievements which result in improved accessibility for people with disabilities. The international awards recognize the most innovative developments and research in adaptive and assistive technology that embrace the Universal Design Principle. "The recognition drives the marketplace to stimulate investment in and development of further creative advances, ultimately enabling everyone to participate and contribute in all aspects of society," notes the Michigan MS Chapter. Supporters of the awards include Microsoft, DaimlerChrysler, Trilogy®, Ford, and General Motors. For more information about Otto Bock, visit www.ottobockus.com For more information about the da Vinci Awards, visit www.nmssmi.org/davinci/overview/winners06.html
