Culham: Orthomobility moves to science centre
A company specialising in the development of a revolutionary new approach to artificial knees, has expanded with a move to Culham Science Centre. The company, Orthomobility, has leased a 1,400 sq ft office to house its seven-strong UK team and was attracted to the site by the combination of office and lab space, in addition to the on-site facilities.
Founded in 2004 by husband and wife team, Jacob and Jennifer Boender, the company’s range of artificial knee joints known as ‘Very Good Knees’ (VGK) has the unique ability of not depending on battery power to guide the movement of the user when walking leg-over-leg downstairs or on slopes.
Jennifer Boender said: “Finding adequate premises in Oxfordshire has been a difficult task. Most business premises were either office, industrial or large and costly scientific premises. Culham Science Centre has satisfied all of our business needs with a good size office, excellent lighting in lab areas and solid floors to house our machinery such as a mill and lathe. It is a very special place to be part of and to carry out meaningful work.”
She said of Orthomobility’s activity: “There’s a common perception that people in the armed forces lose limbs, but anyone can lose a limb at any time due to trauma and disease – even more so in an ageing society. Yet adequate funding for civilian amputees is often overlooked. We specialise in creating innovative prosthetic knees that are affordable and accessible to people worldwide who have lost legs.”
Jacob Boender, who invented the prosthetic process marketed by the company, explained: “The fluidics harness the natural properties of fluid movement to blend in with those of the human body, to the extent that users spontaneously call it a Very Good Knee. The VGK Go is now an established high-end knee joint in a global market.”
