BionX, previously known as BiOM, said today it inked a collaborative deal with Otto Bock Healthcare to exclusively distribute the BiOM prosthetic ankle in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Scandinavian markets. The BiOM prosthetic ankle is the only commercially available mechatronic ankle prosthetic with ‘powered propulsion,’ Bedford, Mass.-based BionX said. The bionic ankle uses computer […]
Prosthetics
BiOM rebrands again, shifts to BionX
Personal bionics maker BiOM said it shifted its brand again, moving to the moniker BioniX Medical Technologies. The change is the 2nd for the firm, which moved from the name iWalk to BiOM previously. BionX, based in Bedford, Mass., produces the BiOM T2 bionic ankles and smart prosthetics that seek to restore normal function of limbs […]
Exactech launches Opterak revision knee system
Exactech (NSDQ:EXAC) said yesterday it launched its Opterak revision knee system and that the system has been successfully implanted in its 1st set of patients. The revision knee system is composed of proprietary net compression molded polyethylene and is indicated for use in skeletally mature patients undergoing surgery for total knee replacements due to osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis, […]
Robotic hand developed by DARPA has sense of touch
A new robotic hand developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has developed a prosthetic hand that allows its user to feel physical sensations. A 28-year-old man with paralyzation due to a spinal cord injury was equipped with the prosthesis, becoming the 1st person to “feel” touch-sensations through the prosthetic unit which is directly connected […]
Bionic hand uses nitinol ‘smart’ wires to mimic muscle fibers
(Reuters) — German researchers using nitinol wires have developed a bionic hand that uses the shape-memory alloy to mimic the contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers. When an electrical charge is applied, the nitinol wires contract, just as muscle fibers do. When the charge is turned off, the wires return to their original shape. The wires are strands of nickel-titanium […]
FDA approves 1st above-the-knee prosthesis
The FDA today authorized the 1st prosthesis for patients with amputations above the knee, allowing them to attach a prosthetic limb to remaining thigh bone. The device, called the Osseoanchored prosthesis for the rehabilitation of amputees, uses fixtures and screws implanted in a patients remaining thigh bone to connect to an external prosthetic, the FDA […]
Bionik labs closes $13m round
Medical device and robotics company Bionik Labs said today that it raised $1.4 million in a private placement for its Arke, a robotic lower body exoskeleton ,to close a $13.1 million round initiated in February. The funds are slated to cover costs associated with development of the Arke as well as general corporate services, the […]
Deka wins $7m Defense Dept. contract for prosthetic arm
The U.S. Defense Dept. awarded a 57-month contract worth nearly $7 million to Dean Kamen’s Deka Innovative Solutions for the sensorized prosthetic arm Deka developed. The Deka arm is the 1st prosthetic arm to translate muscle signals into action that’s approved for the U.S. market. The device won de novo approval from the FDA in May […]
DJO Global closes Zimmer/Biomet buys
DJO Global said yesterday its subsidiary Encore Medical has closed on the purchase of Zimmer (NYSE:ZMH) and Biomet assets that the merging companies were unloading to satisfy U.S. anti-trust regulations. The purchase included Biomet Cobalt bone cement, Optivac cement mixing accessories, the SoftPac pouch and Discovery elbow system for the U.S. marketplace, DJO Global said. Financial details of […]
Exactech wins FDA 510(k) for Optetrak knee prosthesis
Exactech (NSDQ:EXAC) said yesterday that it won FDA 510(k) clearance for its Optetrak Logic constrained condylar prosthesis for revision knee arthroplasty patients. The knee prosthesis is approved for indications in patients undergoing total knee replacement due to osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, post-traumatic degenerative problems and to replace failed knee devices, the Gainesville, Fla-based company said. […]