Da Vinci Award Winners Announced

The 2007 da Vinci Awards, honoring exceptional design and engineering achievements in accessibility and universal design, will be held Friday, September 28, at the Ritz-Carton Hotel, Dearborn, Michigan. Funds raised through these awards will go to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Among the winners to be recognized are the PROPRIO FOOT TM by Ossur, based in Reykjavik, Iceland; the WalkAide® System by Innovative Neurotronics, Bethesda, Maryland, and 15-year-old Grayson Rosenberger, who developed a low-cost Bubble Wrap® covering for artificial legs.

In the spirit of the 15th century artist and visionary Leonardo da Vinci, the awards honor the most innovative developments and research in adaptive and assistive technology that embrace the Universal Design Principlean approach to the design of products, services, and environments to be usable by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability, or circumstance.

The PROPRIO FOOT is the world's first intelligent foot module, providing unprecedented physiological benefits for amputees. A wide and automated range of ankle flexion with Flex-Foot dynamics provides function similar to that of the human foot. The PROPRIO FOOT responds to changing terrain and transforms the approach to stairs, slopes, and level-ground walking. The result is better balance and symmetry, a more confident gait, and reduced stress on the back, hips, and knees.

The WalkAide System is designed to assist users with drop foot due to stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or cerebral palsy. The system employs Myo-Orthotics TM technology, which restores the functionality of an impaired extremity by mimicking and recreating natural nerve-to-muscle response using electrical stimulation.

Rosenberger was honored with the da Vinci Apprentice Award for his Bubble Wrap cosmetic covering for artificial legs for use in developing countries. On a recent trip to Ghana, Africa, he trained local workers to make the covering. (For more information, visit www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/NEWS_2007-01-29_02.asp )

Other adaptive technologies winners are EagleEyes, which allows people to control a computer by moving their eyes; FuelCall System, which provides information on which service stations provide assistance for drivers with disabilities; Handybar, a strong, lightweight portable handle that fits into a vehicle door's striker plate for easy entrance and exit from that vehicle; and the iBot® Mobility System, a high-powered, all-terrain wheelchair that powers across sand and up 5-in. steps, and rises up to an "eye level" position.

Special awards also will be presented. Roger McCarville will be honored with the Founders Award; Rory Cooper will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award; and Dana Bowman will be presented with the Spirit of da Vinci Award.

For more information, contact Leslie Kota at 248.936.0349, or visit www.davinciawards.org

Da Vinci Award Winners Announced

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