IVO cooperates GATE *** Bachelor of Pedorthics as innovative new degree *** Pictures from Meeting in Cologne

The World Health Organization WHO works on the so-called "GATE"-Program. GATE stands for Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology. Part of this program is the development and introduction of an index of types of aids and appliances, in order to provide world-wide access to them - thus this program will have a big impact on the world-wide treatment with aids and appliances in the future and this way also on the work of orthopedic shoe technology.

Among the many international visitors of the 3. ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK in Cologne, Germany were among other OSM Edi Herbst (left picture, left) and a group of students of Kobe College of Medical Welfare in Fukushima, Japan, the Delegation of the Canadian Association PAC, which campaigned in their red hockey jerseys for the IVO Congress in Toronto, and Tanya Louise Le Roux, a healthcare practitioner, specialized as a Orthotist & Prosthetist in Pretoria, South Africa (on the right along with foot & shoe editor Kathrin Ernsting).

Southern Cross University’s School of Health and Human Sciences offers an innovative new degree qualification in pedorthics. The course was developed in close consultation with Adjunct Professional Fellow Karl-Heinz Schott, a qualified pedorthics specialist with more than 25 years’ experience in the industry and an Australian certified pedorthist and master German-trained orthopaedic shoemaker.

Pedorthics: Foot disorders – foot orthoses – footwear
This textbook covers all of the aspects essential to providing pedorthic care of the foot using the most modern techniques and technologies – from the medical basics and the relevant diseases up to and including the individual production of tools. The objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive presentation of pedorthics as it exists today.

A swipe of the smartphone display dispenses with the need to stoop and tie: PFI has successfully complete a research project in the area of wearable electronics. The set goal was to develop a system for automatic opening and closing of shoes controlled by an application installed on a smartphone or smartwatch.

AutoShoe controlled by a smartwatch app.

Cochrane Germany and TMF – Technology, Methods and Infrastructure for Networked Medical Research – jointly hosted a symposium for researchers, patients, ethics experts and representatives from medical journals and research infrastructures. Attendees discussed ways to increase the value of medical research funding and eliminate losses caused by inefficient practices.