Harrison Ford’s “Lifesaver” –The iWALK 2.0 – Earns Int’l Award
(PRWEB) February 24, 2017 -- Actor Harrison Ford is a fan and now so too are the international community of medical device makers as iWALK2.0, created by a Long Beach, Calif. company, has walked away with top honors at the i-NOVO awards held recently in Dusseldorf, Germany. Unlike crutches, which require the use of both arms, the iWALK 2.0 is hands-free device that resembles a 20th century Pirates “peg leg” that straps to the area just below the knee of the injured leg, allowing users to walk naturally. The iWALK 2.0 is fast becoming common among athletes and celebrities who have suffered below-the-knee injuries though amputees are also using the newly redesigned product.
A key committee representing the medical products industry nominated the finalists for the Medica Expo’s i-NOVO Awards and the 120,000 attendees from all over the world cast their vote for the best-designed product. iWALK 2.0 earned the highest score, earning it the “First Place” honor.
iWALK company president Brad Hunter, who led the redesign of the original product to its current incarnation, said that the iWALK 2.0 is quickly growing in popularity as users realize its benefits.
“Think about how your life is hampered by crutches,” Hunter asks. “You can’t use your cell phone at the mall, walk down the aisle at your wedding with bouquet in hand, drink your Starbucks while shopping, push your baby in a stroller, take your dog for a walk, keep up with your friends in daily life or a million other things,” said Hunter. “We are excited by the public reaction and earning this distinguished award helps put us in another league.”
At any one time, some 732,000+ Americans need crutches to remain ambulatory including:
• 70,000+ Americans suffer ankle and foot fractures each year (Nat’l Trauma Data Bank)
• 420,000 Americans suffer shin bone fractures each year (Nat’l Center for Health Statistics)
• 185,000 Americans suffer lower leg amputations – many whom suffer from diabetes (Advanced Amputee Solutions)
• 57,600 Achilles tendons ruptures each year (Nat’l Institutes of Health)
In addition to its convenience, there are also health benefits associated with the iWalk 2.0. “Did you know that the muscles around your upper leg and hip atrophy by as much as 2% a day while on crutches? Not so with iWALK 2.0” says Hunter. “Also, one’s blood flow to the lower extremities is typically reduced when using crutches thus hampering the healing process. Additionally, the transition between using crutches and walking without them can be difficult, but the iWALK 2.0 makes the transition seamless.”
A Canadian farmer developed the prototype of today’s product out of necessity. Since tending to his farm required him to walk the fields and use his hands, he went to work creating an apparatus that would allow him to do both. When Hunter, an entrepreneur with a background in engineering, manufacturing and designing high-performance bicycles wheels learned of it, he became involved with the company and went to work perfecting the product, leading to the development of the iWALK 2.0. In his quest for continued improvement, Hunter is working with the Motion Analysis Research Center at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, Calif. For more information about iWALK 2.0, please call 562 653-4222 or visit iwalk-free.com.
Vincent Montero, iWALKFree Inc., +1 (562) 253-9523, [email protected]
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