The SXSW 2022 panel submissions are in, and it’s time to cast your votes and help shape the schedule for next year’s conference. We need your help to make Ottobock’s four panel submissions a reality at the 2022 festival! Now through August 26, visit the PanelPicker website to vote for our panels and help us share our mission with other innovators, experts, and advocates to spark important conversations in our industry and beyond.

SXSW 2022 Panel Submissions

Beyond the Paralympics is a Human Right to Play

• While culture shifts to celebrate different bodies and end the marginalization of people with disabilities, the ability to acquire adaptive sporting equipment remains out of reach for many, infringing on a human right to play. Has the media gaze helped to overcome these challenges, or do we still have far to go? From seasoned athletes and medalists to the future faces of Paralympic sport, meet with four international Paralympians and discover the history, importance, and future of the Games.

Digital Rehab: Empowering Patients from the Couch

• More than 50% of patients don’t continue their rehabilitation program at home. This lack of compliance is omnipresent despite knowing that rehabilitation is the key for improved functional outcomes, mobility, and pain reduction. For amputees, phantom pain makes it even harder to maintain therapy. What if we could empower patients right from their couch? Experts from the prosthetic and orthotic medical device industry, visionary doctors, and app developers show how virtual reality, gamification, and digital solutions can nudge patients to make better choices and train the brain to reduce phantom pain.

Can Robots Make the Future of Work More Human?

• According to a report from the World Economic Forum, by 2025 artificial intelligence will take the place of 85 million jobs. But what if we could meet at the crosshairs of efficiency and humanity? Meld the man and the machine? Discover technology that supports and advances human potential. Experts from the field of wearable robotics and the industries their technology supports detail how work is becoming easier, more ergonomic, and inclusive.

What You Need to Know About Loss from an Amputee

• In 2020, the world experienced unprecedented, yet ambiguous loss. What exactly is ambiguous loss? How do we discuss grief felt over sorrow that has no source? After traumatic amputation, amputees are confronted with this type of loss every day. Imagine not only adjusting to a physical difference, but also to moving through the world in a totally new way. How are these individuals specially equipped to provide others with a way to navigate culturally invisible losses and what can we learn from them?

Now the important part—how to vote!

It’s easy and supports getting these topics on a global stage! Here’s how to cast your vote:

1. Visit the PanelPicker website and create an account if you don’t already have one with SXSW.
2. Once you’re logged in, click on the Search/Vote tab and search for ‘Ottobock’ to bring up our four panel submissions.
3. To vote, simply click on the ‘Vote Up’ button on the panel submission page.
4. Additionally, you can comment at the bottom of the page to share why you think the panels should be selected!
5. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. CST on 8/26.

Thank you for taking the time to share your voice and let SXSW know these are topics you want to see discussed at one of the biggest gathering of advocates, experts, and innovators. Every vote counts!