“At Ottobock we work to connect users with their prostheses and aids” | The USA Print

Ottobock is a leader in prosthetic and orthotic solutions and mobility aids. “For us, quality of life is closely linked to personal autonomy and independence. That is why we help people to maintain or recover their freedom of movement”, explains Pablo Torres, part of the Ottobock Ibérica Management. And he adds that “we try to see the world through the eyes of our users and we pursue this goal with respect, commitment and innovation.”

Losing a member is something that worries us all, but life goes on.

Losing a limb changes our lives in many ways, undoubtedly. Having a solution that makes us recover part of that mobility is not something only material, it is also accessing social environments again, going back to work, doing sports activities, etc.

An orthopedic solution helps to recover or adapt that previous daily routine to a certain extent. In cases of congenital diseases, where there has not been a loss of limb or other impairment of mobility, we try to make people’s day-to-day life as comfortable as possible, and the energy wasted as little as possible.

“We offer state-of-the-art prosthetic systems. From basic solutions to others developed with technology such as AI, the digitization of manufacturing processes or new sustainable materials”

In this sense, what solutions do you offer from Ottobock?

At Ottobock we offer state-of-the-art prosthetic systems. From basic solutions to others highly developed with technology such as artificial intelligence, the digitization of manufacturing processes such as 3D printing or the use of new sustainable materials. Likewise, we also offer orthotic solutions to treat sequelae of diseases such as stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord damage, as well as back pain such as Dyneva, symptoms associated with osteoarthritis such as the Agilium family, among many others.

We also manufacture and market wheelchairs for different types of users and needs. Everything we do is designed for a type of person and a type of activity. For this reason, the catalog of available solutions is so wide.

How has technology affected the sector and how has it evolved in recent years?

Technology is something that never stops advancing. We are at a time where the speed of adaptation is fleeting and we must be prepared. Not only are technological developments advancing, but also their application. We are interconnected between us and also between the devices we use.

At Ottobock we work to connect users with their prostheses and aids, something we achieve with the development of mobile applications with which to analyze the status of their prostheses, change activity modes, increasingly accessible interfaces or training programs from home. This just 15 years ago was unthinkable. We develop new technologies, but we also invest in constantly optimizing those that are already trusted by people who know us, like the C-Leg knee. This knee has been chosen for its high level of confidence for 25 years, so why not continue to offer a great product with the improvements that life asks of us?

I suppose that, for this advance, clinical studies must be key.

Exactly. Many of Ottobock’s products go through clinical studies that endorse and guarantee the use for which they are designed and indicated. In most cases –let us remember that these products must have a prior clinical evaluation so that they are perfectly adapted to the needs of people–, this evaluation, carried out by a multidisciplinary health team, is based on these studies, which we They also help to improve day by day and to know detailed aspects of what users require.

“We work to connect users with their prostheses and aids, something that we achieve with the development of mobile applications”

For decades we have seen science fiction movies and series in which prosthetics almost create superheroes and superheroines, what is the future? Are we close to that vision of the Hollywood screenwriters?

It is important to detach from the image of superheroes, since it generates expectations that are sometimes difficult to manage. The prosthetics and orthotics industry works very hard so that the recovery of mobility and autonomy are ever greater, but the limitations that technology presents to us are many and still to be known. What we are sure of is that each and every one of the people who make use of these devices enjoy a will and strength as great as the superheroes that mark our social imaginary.