It appears that Otto Bock never introduced their 2008 release of the MovoHook prosthetic hook – it never surfaced in their catalogs nor on their websites. The product is inherently unpatentable as all principles used in that hook are already patented in old outdated patents. Also and since 2008, no other innovations of body powered prosthetics are seen from Otto Bock. Their body powered parts (wrist, bolts, cables, harness) are characterized by a high price but a quality that I find rather arguable (see other pages of this website). And a product such as the Michelangelo hand will not be constructed for body powered arms – not at any time within the foreseeable future.
Now, Otto Bock Switzerland has opened up the Otto Bock orthopedic technical competence center Dynortis in Lucerne, Switzerland. Their rather strangely attractive website has one eerie gap, something missing: there are explicitly no body powered parts offered. Since October 2009 when they opened that franchise, body powered arms are no longer part of what Otto Bock represents there!!
Today, only massively overpriced myoelectric arms have the capacity to yield returns on investment of several 1000% (cheap electronics for loads of money). Also, the blame of product failure is a lot harder for clients to pinpoint with myoelectric arms as it is with body powered arms. So any warranty issues can be handled by the manufacturer in a far more dominant way than so far. Hence, body powered technology has obviously become a drop out subject and a liability for Otto Bock.
Interestingly now, Otto Bock / Dynortis appear to act as provider for technical orthopedics for the (public) Cantonal Hospital of Lucerne. With absent body powered arms it is relevant to point out that neither the IV (disability insurance), SUVA (accident insurance) nor other insurers point out this clear technical deficiency from point of view of user or finance. To me, this is also an indicator as to competency at these instances inasmuch as upper extremity prosthetics is concerned.
Recommened for upper extremity prosthetics in the German speaking area of Switzerland:
- Balgrist Tec. They do custom work, urgent repairs, silicon custom liners and other silicon custom work, they offer repairs on warranty and have their own welding, sewing and leather works in-house just as much as they can laminate composite (carbon fiber and epoxy) sockets.
- Rehaklinik Bellikon. They get general good ratings, but enquiries regarding body powered arms appear to be referred directly to Balgrist Tec.
Keywords: Eigenkraft, Eigenkraftprothese, Eigenkraftprothetik, Kabelzug, Kabelzugprothese, Kabel, Kabelsteuerung, Hook, Hand, Cable Controlled Prosthesis, Prosthetics, Body Powered prosthesis, arm prosthetics, Armprothetik, Armprothese, Versicherung, Unfallversicherung, Invalidenversicherung, Krankenkasse
