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Medical technology company Ottobock relies on 3Dconnexion for the development of life-saving prostheses


Ottobock Press Release

Munich, March 2021 – Helping people with limited mobility enjoy a better quality of life is at the heart of Ottobock’s mission. The medical technology company relies on 3Dconnexion products to tangibly improve the standard of care for patients and positively shape their life’s trajectory.

Headquartered in Duderstadt, Lower Saxony, Germany, Ottobock employs around 150 people in the CAD sector at ten development sites. They develop, construct and optimize medical products such as prostheses, orthotics, wheelchairs, and exoskeletons. Around 70 percent of these CAD workstations are equipped with 3Dconnexion products. Specifically, the SpaceMouse Enterprise, SpaceMouse Pro and SpaceMouse Pro Wireless models are used. A CadMouse or CadMouse Wireless is used to replace the standard mouse.

If a company wants to use 3D input devices and a CAD-optimised mouse with common CAD and 3D applications, 3Dconnexion is the only alternative,” says Markus Schneegans, Production Engineer in Mechanical Engineering Development at Ottobock in Duderstadt. “The company’s products support intuitive, precise and effortless navigation in 3D environments, and enable fast and above all comfortable and pleasant work methods. In our opinion, they clearly have a unique selling point in the market.

Among the products used at Ottobock is the SpaceMouse Enterprise, the most powerful and user-friendly 3D input device from 3Dconnexion. A key technical feature is the six-degrees of freedom (6DoF) sensor patented by 3Dconnexion which enables precise navigation in 3D models or views with all industry-leading CAD applications. Push, pull or tilt the controller cap to intuitively pan, zoom and rotate 3D models. The mouse has twelve intelligent function keys, which are automatically updated as soon as the user switches the application. In addition, there are three programmable CustomView buttons for storing individually defined screen views, and five QuickView buttons with ten standard views. Users can actively switch between standardised and individual perspectives.

Ottobock also uses the SpaceMouse Pro, which includes all standard functions for effortless and precise processing of demanding projects. SpaceMouse Pro Wireless is used for wireless work.

What’s more, Ottobock uses the CadMouse and CadMouse Wireless models, which are tailored to CAD-specific requirements, to replace the classic standard mice. They provide a dedicated middle mouse button for commonly used commands, as well as CAD-specific functions such as SmartScroll or QuickZoom.

Ottobock’s CAD users primarily use 3Dconnexion’s input devices when working with PTC’s Creo Parametric 3D modeling software. The solution offers an intuitive interface and a wide range of powerful yet flexible 3D CAD features that allow users to accelerate the design of parts and assemblies. Ottobock’s designers also use the mice from 3Dconnexion for the 3D CAD applications SOLIDWORKS xDesign and CATIA from the software company Dassault Systèmes.

According to Schneegans, the main advantages of using 3Dconnexion mice with CAD applications are the ergonomics and user comfort, which support more efficient working. “These points are important to us because CAD designers ultimately use 3D products in 60 to 70 percent of their activities,” says Schneegans. From an ergonomic point of view, the user benefits first and foremost from the two-handed working method which distributes the usual one-sided load to both hands. In addition, working with two hands is more comfortable and faster. Users can zoom, rotate and move their model with one hand in a single, flowing motion, while working with the other hand using a classic standard mouse or CadMouse.


About 3Dconnexion

3Dconnexion creates the world’s most advanced, precise, and comfortable peripherals for design and engineering professionals. Optimized for over 300 software packages, our products help people across industries produce better designs more efficiently.


About Ottobock

For people with reduced mobility, Ottobock develops “wearable human bionics”— medical technology products in the areas of prosthetics, orthotics and human mobility (wheelchairs). The company, founded in 1919, also serves patients in the area of patient care. The goal: Increase quality of life and health-related economic benefits. With exoskeletons marketed under the name Paexo, Ottobock has been transferring its expertise in biomechanics to industrial applications since 2012. Offices in 59 countries worldwide offer “Made in Germany” quality and employ more than 7,000 people. The company’s international activities are coordinated from its headquarters in Duderstadt (Lower Saxony, Germany). Since 1988, Ottobock has supported the Paralympic Games with its technical know-how.


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SpaceMouse Enterprise, SpaceMouse Pro & Ottobock Media Collection

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Press contact

Nada Muammar
nada_muammar[at]3dconnexion.com
+33684999903