OTTO BOCK WINS PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARD
Kimba tilt-in-space pediatric mobility system wins RED DOT AWARD best product design in the medical equipment category 2003.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA September 17, 2003 – Otto Bock Health Care’s Kimba mobility base for children has won the Red Dot International Design Award for Best Product Design in 2003. The new pediatric frame blends form and function to create a stroller that optimizes child fit and safety, caregiver ease-of-use, and overall aesthetics. Designed like a mountain bike with rugged wheels and sturdy tubing, the lightweight system offers functional advantages for everyday use. Smooth riding is achieved via an integrated shock absorption system to dampen the effect of rough, uneven terrain on the rider. An easily accessible trigger release enables continuous adjustment for its tilt-in-space seat. Articulating legrests also facilitate positioning enabling continuous adjustments to the knee angle without a second adjustment to the footrest position.
“We designed the Kimba to give parents what they want: a mobility system that protects and supports their child, that encourages the maximum involvement of the child in daily life, in a package that is aesthetically pleasing. Instead of looking like a medical device, it looks like a super-cool, off-road techno-stroller,” said Pat Chelf, Vice President of Marketing for Otto Bock Health Care. “Winning the Red Dot Award was an added bonus.”
About the Red Dot Award
The Red Dot Award is one of the most prestigious international design competitions. Since 1955, expert juries have given an annual award for outstanding product design in a variety of categories. Since the winners are known to set new standards in their industry, the Red Dot has become one of the most highly prized and globally recognized seals of quality. Past winners of the Red Dot have included the IBM Thinkpad, Apple Computer’s iPod and the electric shaver from Braun.
About Otto Bock
Established in 1958, Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Otto Bock Health Care, North America, is the U.S. corporate headquarters of Otto Bock Healthcare, GmbH, based in Duderstadt, Germany. Otto Bock, a leading international prosthetic and orthotic manufacturer, has more than 3,000 employees worldwide and produces over 20,000 types of prosthetic and orthotic components, rehabilitation products and technical plastics, and also provides information technology services.
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