11th November 2011

First UK wearer of bionic leg

A 30-year-old property developer has become the first person in the UK to be fitted with an innovative Bluetooth-enabled leg prosthesis.

The Genium prosthesis from mobility specialist Otto Bock Healthcare has been launched in the UK, giving wearers the benefit of an ‘intelligent’ artificial limb that can adapt precisely to specialised activities.

Property developer Matthew Newbury (pictured), who lost his left leg in a road accident, said the bionic prosthesis has “completely changed the way I live my life”.

Genium can provide a more natural walking pattern than any other prosthetic leg, as well as being programmable for activities such as cycling and climbing steps.

Key features of Genium include:

• the Intuitive Stance Function, which enables the user to achieve natural weight distribution and stand on uneven or inclined surfaces

• the Optimised Physiological Gait, which reduces strain on the user’s back and muscles during walking

• 10 different modes for special movement patterns

• programming capability via a Bluetooth interface

• computer-aided alignment through X-Soft adjustment software, which calculates the forces acting on the leg and recommends positions.

Philip Yates, Managing Director of Otto Bock Healthcare in the UK, said, “In developing new prosthetic systems, Otto Bock strives to reduce the differences between the body’s natural abilities and artificial replacements.

“The Genium represents our latest work decoding the complexity of human gait in ever greater detail and incorporating our insights into a functional, stable, everyday prosthetic system that will redefine quality of life and everyday mobility for amputees.”

“The new Genium has completely changed the way I live my life and has provided me with the confidence to attempt things that I had thought were beyond me,” commented Matthew Newbury.

“With previous prosthetics, I was constantly aware and cautious of their limitations. With Genium, it does all the thinking for me. I can now easily climb the scaffolding on my housing projects and am able to walk, ride and navigate life without a second thought.”

Based in Egham, Surrey, Otto Bock Healthcare supplies prosthetic and orthotic devices, wheelchairs and mobility products.

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