Experience Mobility at the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology

There is a new attraction for the citizens of Berlin and visitors to the national capital from all over the world: The Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 in the presence of Federal Minister of External Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Premier of Thuringia Dieter Althaus, Berlin’s mayor Klaus Wowereit and several hundred guests.

Otto Bock HealthCare invites you to Ebertstraße between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate for interactive experiences and the transfer of knowledge through multimedia installations. Under the motto “Discover what moves us”, the medical technology company is offering interesting insights for laypersons and experts.

Three levels with a total of 450 square metres form an open stage presenting medical technology for everyone. Visitors can playfully explore the true complexity of seemingly ordinary movement patterns such as walking and gripping. The way an understanding of biological processes inspires research and development in the field of medical technology is vividly illustrated.

Practical examples offer insights into human anatomy and bionics. The significance of medical technology innovations for handicapped persons is another focal point. Guests at the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology experience the functionality of prostheses, orthoses and wheelchairs directly – for example on a virtual obstacle course around the Pariser Platz in Berlin.

The distinctive façade design is based on the structure of muscle fibres. When darkness falls, the “Walker” light installation catches the eye. A surprisingly characteristic human gait pattern is formed by just 15 moving points of light.

The upper levels of the facility will be used for meetings of experts from the fields of orthopaedics technology, medicine and rehabilitation as well as seminars of the Otto Bock Academy. This area also includes a Competence Center with an orthopaedics workshop for practical demonstrations of modern patient fittings. The Gnädinger Architekten architectural firm was commissioned to design the building. ART+COM Berlin was responsible for exhibition and media design.

For Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology is “a scientific centre that allows visitors to experience and understand what medical technology stands for in the future of our country.” And he emphasised: “We need a global community of responsibility.”

Otto Bock was founded as a start-up company in Berlin 90 years ago and is today’s global market leader in the field of prosthetics with subsidiaries in 40 countries around the world. Additional business areas include orthotics, wheelchairs and, since 2006, neurostimulation. All national and international activities are coordinated from the company headquarters in Duderstadt, South Lower Saxony.

Chairman and CEO Professor Hans Georg Näder is the grandson of company founder Otto Bock. He considers Berlin an ideal location for the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology, which is intended to sensitize the general public to a socially highly relevant topic while simultaneously promoting contact with national and international experts. “Berlin is a booming hub of this world and an established medical technology metropolis. With our return to the capital, we have come full circle in our company and family history. I find it fascinating how vision becomes reality that helps people. For the user, our medical aids mean day-to-day independence and integration into society.”

The Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology has already gone through a successful “dress rehearsal” on Saturday, June 13 during the “Long Night of Sciences”. Starting on Thursday, June 18 the exhibition area will be open Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Group tours can also be arranged at other times upon request.
Please visit www.sciencecenter-medicaltechnology.com for more information.

Additional information about the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology:
Joachim F. Hamacher
Vice President
Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology
Phone: +49 (0)30 398206-200
Fax: +49 (0)30 398206-111
Mobile: +49 (0)170 920 79 97
E-Mail: joachim.hamacher@ottobock.de
www.sciencecenter-medicaltechnology.com