Siglind, who lives in Hanover, loves horses and has turned her passion into a profession. But doing so was not a walk in the park. In autumn 2000, the qualified groom was involved in a car accident on a wet road and lost her right leg at the scene. The authorities told her that she would no longer be able to work in her profession with only one leg; she would have to choose a new career. So, she looked for a job where her disability was irrelevant: She worked as a trainer for therapeutic riding in South Africa and competed on the German rowing team at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. In 2010, the then 46-year-old wrote an open application to the Hanover mounted police unit and was accepted.

This position entailed 40,000 steps a day, shift work and being outside in wind, sun or and rain. "I had to prove myself first, of course, but looking after and caring for horses is my calling. My job is physically demanding, but it also gives me a lot in return. And my leg prosthesis gives me everything I need." Ottobock's latest prosthetic knee joint, which the healthtech company is presenting at the start of OTWorld, helps her do her job well. This allows Siglind to pursue her physically demanding job and to ride her grey horse Toledo.

Her paralysis occurred when she suffered a stroke at 19 as a side effect of the contraceptive pill. At the time, Lena was in the middle of her vocational training as a healthcare and nursing assistant when she suffered from a sinus vein thrombosis, which led to paralysis in her right leg and arm. She was unable to lift her foot at all and only had minimal control of her hip flexor. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) gives Lena hope of life without a wheelchair. The L300 Go stimulates her nerves and activates the affected muscles in her right leg with small electrical impulses. Thanks to her orthosis, Lena leads an independent life. The 23-year-old now works as a nurse in an emergency room in Hamburg; in her spare time, she goes jogging, hiking and riding with her mare Frieda. "The L300 Go brings freedom back into my life. Without it, I would be dependent on a wheelchair and would no longer be able to work at my dream job."

The Exopulse Mollii Suit helps Lena with her spasticity and the resulting pain. The 58 electrodes integrated in the suit stimulate and relax muscles affected by spasticity. At the same time, weak muscles are (re)activated and spastic pain is reduced. As a result, the nurse has more energy for her everyday (professional) life, no longer has to take analgesics and can finally sleep soundly again.

Björn has been passionate about sport and nature since he was a child. When he was diagnosed with bone cancer at just under 16 years old and received an artificial knee joint (endoprosthesis) as a result, he was determined to pursue his passion. He goes hiking, climbs mountains and travels around the world in his job as a trainer and consultant in development cooperation. Seventeen years later, he developed an infection in his endoprosthesis in East Africa. Björn finally decided to have his left leg amputated. "Being outside and active means everything to me. For me, freedom means being able to run for hours and enjoy nature." So, he started training again and literally got back on his feet in no time. After just three months, the "Active Amputee" was back in the mountains; he climbed the Atlas Mountains on the first anniversary of his amputation. Ottobock's latest microprocessor-controlled knee joint makes it possible for him to move independently and freely. Thanks to his prosthesis, this father of three from the Bergisches Land region of Germany can easily hike through snow, cross rivers and spend days at a time outdoors in nature. "The amputation was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. And with all the ups and downs since, I haven't ever regretted the decision to have an amputation."

The 52-year-old documents his hikes and travels on his blog "The Active Amputee", in his podcast and on social media. In doing so, he inspires others and shows them that a prosthesis does not put restrictions on your life.

Ayleen lives with a degenerative spinal disease that led to herniated discs as a child. However, this has never stopped the Marburg resident from living her life the way she wants to. After a spinal cord injury in 2020, however, her health deteriorated radically and she was diagnosed with bilateral paraplegia. The young woman, who had previously led an active life, lost her ability to walk and stand, among other things, and was confined to a wheelchair. Alternative treatments to help her get back on her feet were dismissed by the rehabilitation centre. But the economist refused to let this stop her and decided to do her own research. She finally found out about the microprocessor-controlled C-Brace leg orthosis. Ottobock's smart assistive device, which she wears on one leg, gives Ayleen her freedom of movement back.

"Thanks to the C-Brace, I can finally travel again and am no longer tied to one place. I was recently in India, which means so much to me. My life is no longer on hold."

Six hundred tonnes. That was how much the freight train that crushed Sebastian's elbow weighed. His left arm was caught between two wagon buffers in a workplace accident in 2008. Since then, the now 40-year-old father of two has been wearing Ottobock's DynamicArm – an elbow prosthesis for people with a transhumeral amputation. The special thing about this type of treatment: The prosthesis must replace both the hand and elbow function. The DynamicArm is powered by an electric motor. Sebastian controls the joint using his own muscle signals in his residual limb. The prosthetic arm's control unit then forwards the signals to the prosthetic hand, causing it to move. Thanks to his arm prosthesis, Sebastian can lead an independent life again. He goes hiking, rides his motorbike and likes to work in his house and garden. Today, Sebastian works as a trainer for foundry mechanics in the German city of Kassel. "My disability doesn't matter to my trainees. With the DynamicArm, I can get pretty much any job done. And the trainees take care of the ten per cent that I'm missing," he laughs.

Kerstin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was seventeen. Due to the severe pain caused by her spasticity, she had to take up to thirty tablets and medical anaesthetics every day. She has been in a wheelchair permanently since 2021. This is a device that she really appreciates – it gives the mother of two freedom of movement in her life. She was then introduced to the Exopulse Mollii Suit via Instagram. This is a neuromodulation suit that uses electrical impulses to stimulate muscle groups affected by spasticity, thereby relieving pain. After just ten minutes of using the suit, Kerstin felt something change in her body: "My strength has increased a thousandfold. I can breathe freely again without my spasticity constantly restricting my airflow. Thanks to the suit, my husband can go to work again with peace of mind and my children no longer have to worry about finding me lying helpless on the floor after they come back from school."

Thanks to the Exopulse Mollii Suit, the 42-year-old was able to stop taking all her painkillers and go on holiday with her family without having to rely on 24-hour care.