The Limbless Association has awarded Otto Bock Healthcare, Duderstadt, Germany, with its 2009 award for prosthetic or orthotic product innovation for the company’s E-MAG Active knee orthosis. Otto Bock describes the orthosis as the first electronically controlled knee-joint system on the market. It opens and closes automatically during the gait cycle, locking during stance and unlocking during the swing phase according to positional feedback from a sensor system that measures the leg’s position and controls the orthosis’ knee joint according to forefoot load and knee extension. The wearer receives feedback via sound or vibration. The company has stated the device can work on legs that have partial or complete ankle paralysis.
Craig Stevens, Otto Bock product manager, told MTB Europe, “E-MAG Active has ushered in a new era in orthotics…. Otto Bock is extremely pleased with this award, as it recognizes significant innovation in orthotics.”
