Bioness Inc, based in California, has announced that its Vector Gait & Safety System has been chosen as a 2014 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) finalist. According to a Bioness news release, the Vector system is competing in the rehabilitation and assistive device category award, in addition to “Best-in-Show” and “Readers’ Choice.” The MDEA recognizes medical technologies that excel in areas of design and engineering, clinical efficacy, manufacturing and technological innovation, cost-effectiveness, and overall benefits for the healthcare industry.

The Vector Gait & Safety System allows healthcare providers to administer rehabilitative care sooner while providing a safe environment for both the patient and the clinician. The system consists of an overhead robotic trolley, a conductive rail, and a wireless software interface. The Bioness news release indicates that Vector is intended to provide rehabilitation departments a safe therapeutic experience combined with complete outcomes documentation.

Todd Cushman, CEO of Bioness, states, “Given the range and depth of innovation that is occurring in today’s medical device industry, we are extremely proud that for the Vector Gait and Safety System was selected as a finalist for this prestigious industry award.” Cushman adds, “Our customers at the top rehabilitation hospitals in the United States and Europe have provided tremendous feedback and found the Vector Gait and Safety System to be extremely helpful in increasing the safety and ultimately, the effectiveness, of their patient’s rehabilitation.”

The Vector Gait & Safety System will be competing against five other technologies in the Rehabilitation and Assistive-Technology Products category and against all 53 other finalists for “Best-in-Show” and “Readers’ Choice.” The Bronze, Silver, and Gold winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at the Medical Device & Manufacturing (MD&M) East Conference in New York City, as indicated on the Bioness news release.

[Source: Bioness]