CLEVELAND, June 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, today announced that it received a Gold Award at the 2016 Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) for its Indego exoskeleton. The award was given in the Rehabilitation and Assistive Device category of the competition. Indego is a powered lower limb exoskeleton enabling people with spinal cord injuries to walk and participate in over-ground gait training.
“It’s an honor for us to receive such a prestigious award among such a competitive field of devices that are making a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” said Achilleas Dorotheou, head of the human motion and control business unit for Parker. “Receiving this award not only recognizes our rapid commercial success but highlights the design and engineering pedigree that Parker and its engineers are known for.”
The MDEA is the medical technology industry’s premier design competition, and its panel of third-party jurors are committed to searching worldwide for the highest caliber medical devices that save lives, improve patient healthcare and transform medical technology. The MDEA Juror Panel selects products based on design and engineering innovation; function and user-related innovation; patient benefits; business benefits; and overall benefit to the healthcare system.
Indego has two applications. It offers clinicians an efficient therapy tool to train spinal cord injured individuals. Furthermore, it allows users to stand and walk, and holds great promise for affording people with paraplegia a new level of independence for use outside the clinical setting.
Unique in design, Indego consists of five snap-together components and weighs only 26 pounds fully assembled. The hip component houses a rechargeable battery back, while each upper leg component houses two motors as well as embedded sensors and controllers. A Bluetooth LE radio allows communication between the Indego and an iPhone or iPod touch through the custom Indego iOS application. This application enables users and clinicians to adjust device settings and to view session progress wirelessly. Indego is designed to be easy and intuitive to use.
Indego has received FDA Clearance and CE Mark, allowing it to be sold commercially in the U.S. and Europe. Indego has also earned a UL Mark which was obtained through extensive testing to certify the high standards of the Indego system design, function and safety.
To learn more about Indego visit www.indego.com.
About Parker
With annual sales of approximately $13 billion in fiscal year 2015, Parker Hannifin is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company has operations in 50 countries around the world. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.parker.com.