A Superlative Trade Fair

With cutting-edge technology and record numbers, the world-leading ORTHOPÄDIE + REHA-TECHNIK (ORTHOPAEDICS + REHABILITATION TECHNOLOGY) trade fair in Leipzig highlighted the achievement potential of medical technology as a growth industry. 554 exhibitors from 45 countries enjoyed the attention of over 21,200 visitors – a solid 17 percent more compared to 2008. As the global market leader in the field of prosthetics, the contribution by Otto Bock HealthCare included two outstanding product premieres.

Based on the concept for the Science Center Medical Technology in Berlin, the interactive multimedia presentations at the Otto Bock booth were the most popular attraction at the trade fair – both for the specialist audience and on the concluding Visitor's Day. Taking place at the same time, the ISPO (International Society for Prosthetics & Orthotics) World Congress made the exhibition area more international than ever as well. The congress also exceeded all expectations with 2,640 participants. Around 1,900 medical technology experts attended the previous event held in Vancouver in the year 2007.

"This was the best ORTHOPÄDIE + REHA-TECHNIK trade fair we have ever seen," exulted Professor Hans Georg Näder, the owner, chairman and CEO of Otto Bock. "Combining the trade fair and ISPO World Congress is a model for the future. Leipzig played host to the world – our global innovations such as the Genium Bionic leg prosthesis system and the Michelangelo® Hand thrilled the specialist audience."

With the presentation of the Genium, Otto Bock offered a peek at the future of fittings for transfemoral amputees. The market introduction of the bionic leg prosthesis system, which permits amputees to walk up stairs step-over-step among other things, has been announced for the second half of 2011. The Michelangelo® Hand offers grip types which were previously impossible with a prosthesis and also comes much closer to the natural model in terms of its design. Prosthesis wearers demonstrating the significance of these devices in everyday life attracted plenty of attention and fielded numerous questions during the four days of the trade fair.

Johanniter Unfallhilfe and Otto Bock work together in disaster areas

In the course of his forum programme Dr. Arnold von Rümker, Federal Chairman of the Johanniter Unfallhilfe (Johanniter first aid organization) and Karl-Heinz Burghardt of Otto Bock talked about their long-term cooperation agreement to provide aid in disaster areas. "It is important for emergency aid to make a long-term beneficial difference. An estimated 2,000 people in Haiti require prosthetic fittings," said Rümker, describing the magnitude of challenges in the earthquake region. Burghardt discussed how immediate aid in Romania became "the start of what is now a privately managed organization". The Johanniter Unfallhilfe and Otto Bock HealthCare are also cooperating in Haiti; Otto Bock has sent the mobile orthopaedics workshop, which was in Florida for demonstration purposes at the start of the year, to Haiti.

Paralympics fascination with world record distance

On Visitors' Day, the Paralympic Day presented the spectrum of popular and performance sports for people with disabilities. Otto Bock facilitated the farewell game for wheelchair basketball player Lars Christink, who sealed the 54:45 win of the German national team against an all-star squad with a three-point toss in the final minute. In a long jump competition Markus Rehm (TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen), who had his right lower leg amputated, achieved the world record distance of 6.88 meters – which may not be valid in such a demonstration contest, but does inspire great hopes for the 2012 Paralympics in London.