JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #134 - May/June 2020 - 55

Wearable exoskeleton robots to reach a global market of US$ 5.2 billion by 2025

With regards to the ageing population, we still might see a lot of
innovation coming along. Why
not imagine exoskeletons for the

domestic environment, helping
elderly people to lift heavy items,
like a water container. There are
many applications conceivable.

eksoNR by EksoBionics is the next step
in neurorehabilitation © EksoBionics

Maximilian Segl , principal expert composite
materials & parts, Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA

pletely paralyzed, for example
as a result of polio, to walk
again. Thanks to a unique sensor technology, the orthosis
controls walking movements
in real time. It thus helps to
achieve an almost natural gait
pattern. The user can even go
down stairs step-over-step. 220
units of the C-Brace complete
leg orthosis were sold in 2019.
The predecessor was C-Leg
(1997), the world's first leg
prosthesis to be controlled by
microprocessors. A special coating on Ottobock's bebionic
hand prosthesis, for example,
allows the user to interact
with touchscreens on mobile

phones or tablets. 3D scanners
and printers allow customized
fabrication. The new generation is not only smaller and can
be worn under clothing, but it
is also lighter and the individual fitting has become easier
as well. Myo Plus comes along
with an App. The patient can
control the movement pattern
of the prosthesis and train to
retrieve them on request. Assisted by eight electrodes, the
prosthesis control system measures the movement patterns
of the muscles in the forearm
stump and relates them to specific hand movements and gestures [14].

Ing. Maximilian Segl joined Ottobock in 1994
after various positions in the sporting goods
industry (IMS, HEAD, Kneissl, BMS, IMTech).
He was substantially involved in the development of C-Brace®, the world's only stanceand swing-phase controlled orthosis.

C-Brace © Ottobock

Focus

Myo Plus arm prosthesis device: person feeding a baby calf. ©Ottobock

Another player in the market,
Ottobock, based in Duderstadt,
Germany, gained extensive expertise in biomechanics and orthopaedic technology with more
than 100 years of experience.
The company's subsidiaries in
more than 57 countries employ
around 7,100 people. In addition to exoskeletons for industry,
they launched the second genera-

tion of the C-Brace®, the world's
only stance- and swing-phase
controlled orthosis. Shown in
2018 at OTWorld, the leading
trade fair for orthopaedic technology, C-Brace® won the German
mobility prize in 2019.

Maximilian Segl: C-Brace®
can enable people whose knee
extensors are partially or com-

About Ottobock
Ottobock develops "wearable human bionics" for people
with limited mobility - medical technology products in
the fields of prosthetics, orthotics and human mobility
(wheelchairs). The company, founded in 1919, also provides patient care products. The aim: to increase the
quality of life and health economic benefits. With the
Paexo exoskeleton, Ottobock transferred its expertise in
biomechanics to applications for industry in 2018. Subsidiaries in 59 countries worldwide offer "Made in Germany" quality and employ more than 7,000 people. The
company's international activities are coordinated from
its headquarters in Duderstadt, Germany. Since 1988,
Ottobock has been supporting the Paralympic Games
with its technical know-how.

N°134 May - June 2020

/ jec composites magazine

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #134 - May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #134 - May/June 2020