April 9, 2007 (Aliso Viejo, CA) -- Ossur, a trusted and global developer of more scientifically advanced prosthetic innovations than any other company in the field, is pleased to announce that its PROPRIO FOOT™ is the winner of a 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award. The PROPRIO FOOT, the latest in Ossur’s Bionic Technology platform, is the world’s first motor-powered and intelligent prosthetic foot, a seamless fusion of electronics, mechanics, and human physiology that reduces the energy patients spend in reacting consciously to the environment. The foot replaces muscle function that was lost due to an amputation, enabling amputees to perform normal, functional activites by:
- Sensing. Knowing where their foot is in space is a huge safety issue for amputees. Sophisticated sensor technology mimics the body’s own neural receptors that are sensitive to mechanical change, providing artificial proprioception (that sense of where the limb is in space). Hence the name PROPRIO FOOT.
- Thinking. Patented artificial intelligence (AI) processes information from the sensors and activates the most appropriate response for the next step.
- Acting. The AI transmits a constant stream of signals which instruct high-precision actuator technology to act and deliver optimal function. Expertise in real-time motion analysis for the foot was provided by Canadian company, Dynastream.
The Medical Design Excellence Awards competition is organized and presented by Canon Communications LLC (Los Angeles) and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products. Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user-related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.
A comprehensive review of the entries was performed by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, human factors, industrial design, medicine, and diagnostics.
"We are delighted that the PROPRIO FOOT and Ossur’s research and development have been acknowledged by this prestigious award," said Hilmar Janusson, global vice president of R&D. "The foot was launched in September, 2006, and the U.S. Department of Defense and the VA are both actively using it to benefit servicemen returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, as well as veterans of past wars. It is also quickly becoming the foot of choice for diabetic amputees all over the world."
The 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award winners will be honored at a ceremony during the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East Conference and Exposition, June 12–14, 2007, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Gold and silver award recipients will be announced at this time.
OSSUR
Ossur (Icelandic Stock Exchange: OSSR) is as much about helping people to live a life without limitations as it is about its orthopaedic products. A trusted and global leader in the development, manufacturing, distribution, sales and marketing of bracing and support products and prosthetics, Ossur pioneers award-winning designs – including its Bionic Technology platform – and partners with the health practitioners who use them to deliver successful clinical and business outcomes. Headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, the company has operations and a distribution network throughout the world. The company allocates an industry record of 6-8 percent of its revenue on research and development to conceive and harness the most advanced technologies for incorporation in its product designs, and provides extensive education programs through the Ossur Academy. Ossur is a 2006 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Website: www.ossur.com
Contact:
Ossur Americas:
Tabi King
Marketing and Public Relations Director
(949) 360-3756
tking@ossur.com