Walter Lunzer

Otto Bock, Austria

www.walterlunzer.com

Biography

Walter Lunzer studied fashiondesign and tayloring at the Fashion Institut Vienna. Afterwards he learned millining and hatting. Additionally he studied art and design education at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna. During his studies he already sold his own collections and specialized on made to measure fashion.
Since 2009 Lunzer runs his own enterprise where he works as designer and consultant in the fields of fashion, education, Art & Science. In this function he gives fashion design classes, so called” stitching sessions” and helps fashion start ups to build up their business. One of it is the successful made to measure jeans label “Gebrüder Stitch”. At the moment he works for Ottobock Vienna to implement textiletechnologies and design. He also teaches at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.

MyGait Cuff Soft - Otto Bock

A dorsal flexor weakness often occurs as the result of a stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain trauma or an incomplete paraplegia. Dorsal flexor weakness and drop foot mean that the tip of the foot points down, thus it can get easily caught on the floor. This way, even a carpet can become an obstacle. To achieve the necessary distance to the floor, the leg is usually swung forward via the hip, which requires great strength and can lead to malpositions. It often leads to back pain.
Many people affected by this avoid walking greater distances. On one hand, it requires great efforts since they have to concentrate intensely on every step and on the other hand, they can only move slowly. As a result of this, many people affected by dorsal flexor weakness stay at home more instead of visiting friends or undertaking something, which significantly decreases their quality of life.
MyGait is intended to inhibit this social retreat. It is an innovative device, which depending on the individual, can facilitate walking with dorsal flexor weakness.
MyGait is a surface stimulator. Under certain physical conditions, functional electrical stimulation (FES) with MyGait lifts the foot at just the right time in the gait cycle.
The heel switch that you wear on the foot sends a wireless signal to the stimulator. A cuff positions it below the knee. The stimulator activates a special nerve called the common peroneal nerve. As a result, the muscles responsible for lifting the foot are activated and the foot is lifted. This results in an improved and more natural gait pattern.